Information Processing Device, Information Processing Method, and Program

ABSTRACT

Provided is an information processing device including a decision unit to decide, based on process capability information acquired through a first communication path from at least one of a first and second control target device which are target devices to be caused to perform wireless communication through a second communication path that is different from the first communication path, the process capability information, a transmission target control target device between the first and second control target device to which connection information of the other control target device is to be transmitted out of connection information acquired from each of the first and second control target device through the first communication path, and a transmission control unit to cause the connection information of the other control target device to be transmitted to the transmission target control target device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/395,305, filed on Oct. 17, 2014, which is a national phaseentry under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No.PCT/JP2013/058682, filed on Mar. 26, 2013, published as WO 2013/161484A1 on Oct. 31, 2013, which claims priority from Japanese PatentApplication No. JP 2012-103448, filed in the Japanese Patent Office onApr. 27, 2012, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated hereinby reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, aninformation processing method, and a program.

BACKGROUND ART

In recent years, high functionality of devices such as mobile telephonesand smartphones has progressed, and among such devices, those that canperform communication using a plurality of communication means such ascommunication based on NFC (Near Field Communication), IEEE 802.15.1(which is sometimes called “Bluetooth” (registered trademark)), and thelike have also emerged. In addition, the technology which is calledhandover has been gradually used recently. The handover technologymentioned herein is a technology for performing communication byautomatically switching a plurality of communication means that respondto different communication schemes. Between devices that use thehandover technology, for example, authentication information of a secondcommunication scheme is transferred using a communication path based ona first communication scheme, and then, using the authenticationinformation, authentication based the second communication scheme isautomatically set. Thus, the devices that use the handover technologycan automatically perform communication using a communication path basedon the second communication scheme, for example, without causing a userto be aware of an authentication process or a setting process.

In addition, technologies relating to the handover have also beendeveloped. As a technology for causing devices to share data necessaryfor secure data communication by the medium of a security device, forexample, the technology disclosed in Patent Literature 1 described belowis exemplified.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

Patent Literature 1: JP 2007-129320A

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

For example, the technology described in Patent Literature 1 is based onthe premise that each of devices that perform data communication isconfigured such that a communication interface for performing datacommunication between the devices and a communication interface forperforming communication with a security device that relates to sharingof data necessary for secure data communication are controlled by onecontroller. Thus, when the technology described in Patent Literature 1is used, for example, if a controller included in a device such as adevice to which an NFC tag, a non-contact IC (Integrated Circuit) card,or the like is affixed is not connected to the NFC tag (if thecontroller is not able to process data of the NFC tag), it is notpossible to share data between the devices.

In addition, the connection handover specification that is a technicalspecification of NFC Forum is based on the premise that both devicesthat perform communication should respond to P2P (Peer to Peer) protocolthat includes a connection interface with a controller, or at least oneof the devices that perform communication should be a device thatincludes a connection interface with a controller (which is a case inwhich, for example, one has the function of a reader-writer and theother has only a tag). Thus, a user who uses a device that complies withthe connection handover specification should be aware of, for example,what function of NFC each device supports (for example, whether a deviceresponds to P2P, has only the tag function, or has only the function ofa reader-writer). In addition, in the connection handover specification,there can be cases in which it is difficult to realize handover(performing communication by automatically switching a plurality ofcommunication means that respond to different communication schemes)depending on a combination of devices that perform communication.

Thus, even if, for example, the technology described in PatentLiterature 1 or the technology that relates to the connection handoverspecification that is the technical specification of NFC forum is used,devices which are targets to be caused to perform communication (whichmay be hereinafter referred to as “control target devices”) are notcaused to perform communication at all times.

The present disclosure proposes a novel and improved informationprocessing device, information processing method, and program that cancontrol communication performed between control target devices.

Solution to Problem

According to the present disclosure, there is provided an informationprocessing device including a decision unit configured to decide, basedon process capability information acquired through a first communicationpath from at least one of a first control target device and a secondcontrol target device which are target devices to be caused to performwireless communication through a second communication path that isdifferent from the first communication path, the process capabilityinformation indicating whether or not it is possible to process datareceived through the first communication path, a transmission targetcontrol target device between the first control target device and thesecond control target device, which is a control target device to whichconnection information of the other control target device is to betransmitted out of connection information acquired from each of thefirst control target device and the second control target device throughthe first communication path for starting communication through thesecond communication path, and a transmission control unit configured tocause the connection information of the other control target device tobe transmitted to the transmission target control target device.

According to the present disclosure, there is provided an informationprocessing method including a step of deciding, based on processcapability information acquired through a first communication path fromat least one of a first control target device and a second controltarget device which are target devices to be caused to perform wirelesscommunication through a second communication path that is different fromthe first communication path, the process capability informationindicating whether or not it is possible to process data receivedthrough the first communication path, a transmission target controltarget device between the first control target device and the secondcontrol target device, which is a control target device to whichconnection information of the other control target device is to betransmitted out of connection information acquired from each of thefirst control target device and the second control target device throughthe first communication path for starting communication through thesecond communication path, and a step of causing the connectioninformation of the other control target device to be transmitted to thetransmission target control target device.

According to the present disclosure, there is provided a program causinga computer to execute a step of deciding, based on process capabilityinformation acquired through a first communication path from at leastone of a first control target device and a second control target devicewhich are target devices to be caused to perform wireless communicationthrough a second communication path that is different from the firstcommunication path, the process capability information indicatingwhether or not it is possible to process data received through the firstcommunication path, a transmission target control target device betweenthe first control target device and the second control target device,which is a control target device to which connection information of theother control target device is to be transmitted out of connectioninformation acquired from each of the first control target device andthe second control target device through the first communication pathfor starting communication through the second communication path, and astep of causing the connection information of the other control targetdevice to be transmitted to the transmission target control targetdevice.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the present disclosure, communication performed betweencontrol target devices can be controlled.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a descriptive diagram showing an example of contentrepresented by capability information according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an illustrative diagram for describing a first example of aprocess relating to an information processing method according to theembodiment.

FIG. 3 is an illustrative diagram for describing a second example of aprocess relating to an information processing method according to theembodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process performedin an information processing system according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an illustrative diagram for describing a third example of aprocess relating to an information processing method according to theembodiment.

FIG. 6 is an illustrative diagram for describing a fourth example of aprocess relating to an information processing method according to theembodiment.

FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process performedin an information processing system according to the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an illustrative diagram for describing a fifth example of aprocess relating to an information processing method according to theembodiment.

FIG. 9 is an illustrative diagram for describing a sixth example of aprocess relating to an information processing method according to theembodiment.

FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process performedin an information processing system according to the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process performedin an information processing system according to the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of aninformation processing device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is an illustrative diagram showing an example of a hardwareconfiguration of an information processing device according to theembodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will bedescribed in detail with reference to the appended drawings. Note that,in this specification and the drawings, elements that have substantiallythe same function and structure are denoted with the same referencesigns, and repeated explanation is omitted.

In addition, hereinafter, description will be provided in the followingorder.

1. Information processing method according to the embodiment

2. Information processing device according to the embodiment

3. Program according to the embodiment

(Information Processing Method According to the Embodiment)

Before a configuration of an information processing device according tothe present embodiment is described, first, an information processingmethod according to the present embodiment will be described.Hereinafter, the information processing method according to the presentembodiment will be described exemplifying a case in which an informationprocessing device according to the present embodiment performs a processrelating to the information processing method according to the presentembodiment.

[1] Overview of the Information Processing Method According to thePresent Embodiment

As described above, even if, for example, the technology described inPatent Literature 1 or the technology that relates to the connectionhandover specification is used, control target devices are not caused toperform communication at all times.

Thus, based on process capability information acquired from at least oneof a first control target device and a second control target devicewhich are target devices to be caused to perform wireless communicationthrough a first communication path that is formed based on a firstcommunication scheme, the information processing device according to thepresent embodiment decides a control target device to which connectioninformation of the other control target device is transmitted betweenthe first control target device and the second control target device(decision process). Then, the information processing device according tothe present embodiment transmits the connection information of the othercontrol target device to the decided control target device (a controltarget device to which the connection information of the other controltarget device is transmitted) (transmission control process).

Here, the first communication path according to the present embodimentis a communication path that is formed based on a communication schemethat enables the information processing device according to the presentembodiment and a control target device to communicate with each otherone to one without requiring, for example, a special connection settingmade by a user. As the first communication path according to the presentembodiment, for example, the communication path that is formed based onNFC which uses a carrier wave of a predetermined frequency such as 13.56[MHz] for communication is exemplified. Note that the firstcommunication path according to the present embodiment is not limited tothe above. The first communication path according to the presentembodiment may be, for example, a communication path that is formedbased on infrared-ray communication that uses infrared rays forcommunication. Hereinbelow, the case in which the first communicationpath according to the present embodiment is the communication path thatis formed based on NFC will be exemplified.

In addition, the process capability information according to the presentembodiment is data indicating whether or not data received through thefirst communication path can be processed. As the process capabilityinformation according to the present embodiment, for example, a flagwhich indicates whether or not data received through the firstcommunication path can be processed is exemplified. Note that theprocess capability information according to the present embodiment isnot limited to the above, and may be arbitrary data as long as the dataindicates whether or not data received through the first communicationpath can be processed.

By acquiring capability information from each of the first controltarget device and the second control target device through the firstcommunication path of which, for example, a session has beenestablished, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment acquires at least one piece of the process capabilityinformation of the first control target device and the processcapability information of the second control target device.

The capability information according to the present embodiment is data(or a data group) that indicates a capability relating to communication.As a capability relating to communication indicated by the capabilityinformation according to the present embodiment, for example, a processcapability that indicates whether or not data received through the firstcommunication path according to the present embodiment can be processedand a communication capability that indicates a correspondingcommunication scheme (a different communication scheme from thecommunication scheme that forms the first communication path) areexemplified.

Here, when the capability information according to the presentembodiment is one piece of data and the process capability informationaccording to the present embodiment is included in the capabilityinformation according to the present embodiment, the process capabilityinformation according to the present embodiment is a part of dataconstituting the data. When the capability information according to thepresent embodiment is one piece of data and the process capabilityinformation according to the present embodiment is included in thecapability information according to the present embodiment, theinformation processing device according to the present embodimentacquires the process capability information according to the presentembodiment by acquiring the capability information according to thepresent embodiment through the first communication path.

In addition, when the capability information according to the presentembodiment is a data group and the process capability informationaccording to the present embodiment is included in the capabilityinformation according to the present embodiment, the process capabilityinformation according to the present embodiment is data constituting thedata group. When the capability information according to the presentembodiment is a data group and the process capability informationaccording to the present embodiment is included in the capabilityinformation according to the present embodiment, the informationprocessing device according to the present embodiment acquires theprocess capability information according to the present embodiment in,for example, communication through the first communication path in whichthe capability information according to the present embodiment isacquired. In addition, when the capability information according to thepresent embodiment is a data group and the process capabilityinformation according to the present embodiment is included in thecapability information according to the present embodiment, theinformation processing device according to the present embodiment mayacquire the process capability information according to the presentembodiment in, for example, communication through the firstcommunication path of a separate transaction from communication relatingto acquisition of connection information according to the presentembodiment (which will be described later).

When the process capability information according to the presentembodiment is included in the capability information according to thepresent embodiment, the information processing device according to thepresent embodiment specifies the process capability of a control targetdevice which corresponds to the capability information using the processcapability information according to the present embodiment included inthe capability information according to the present embodiment. Inaddition, when the process capability information according to thepresent embodiment is not included in the capability informationaccording to the present embodiment, the information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment specifies a process capability of acontrol target device which corresponds to the capability information asthe device assumes that, for example, the control target device whichcorresponds to the capability information does not have the processcapability of data received through the first communication path. Inaddition, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment specifies the communication capability of a control targetdevice which corresponds to the capability information using theconnection information (to be described later) according to the presentembodiment included in the capability information according to thepresent embodiment.

In addition, a method used by the information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment to acquire process capabilityinformation of at least one of process capability information of thefirst control target device and process capability information of thesecond control target device is not limited to the above.

For example, the process capability information according to the presentembodiment may be acquired in communication which relates toestablishment of a session of the first communication path with at leastone of the first control target device and the second control targetdevice. As communication which relates to establishment of a session ofthe first communication path according to the present embodiment whenthe first communication path is a communication path formed based onNFC, for example, “communication performed from the start ofcommunication relating to polling until establishment of a session” isexemplified. A specific example of a process relating to thecommunication that relates to the establishment of a session of thefirst communication path according to the present embodiment will bedescribed later.

Hereinbelow, processes of the information processing method according tothe present embodiment will be described mainly exemplifying a case inwhich the information processing device according to the presentembodiment acquires process capability information of at least one ofprocess capability information of the first control target device andprocess capability information of the second control target device byacquiring capability information from each of the first control targetdevice and the second control target device through the firstcommunication path.

In addition, the connection information according to the presentembodiment is data for starting communication through a secondcommunication path that is formed based on a different communicationscheme from the communication scheme for forming the first communicationpath. When the capability information according to the presentembodiment is one piece of data, the connection information according tothe present embodiment is a part of data constituting the data, and whenthe capability information according to the present embodiment is a datagroup, the connection information according to the present embodiment isdata constituting the data group. When the capability informationaccording to the present embodiment is one piece of data, theinformation processing device according to the present embodimentacquires connection information by acquiring capability informationthrough the first communication path. In addition, when the capabilityinformation according to the present embodiment is a data group and theprocess capability information according to the present embodiment isincluded in the capability information according to the presentembodiment, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment may acquire connection information in, for example,communication through the first communication path for acquiring theprocess capability information according to the present embodiment, ormay acquire connection information in communication through the firstcommunication path of a separate transaction from communication whichrelates to acquisition of the process capability information accordingto the present embodiment.

The second communication path according to the present embodiment is acommunication path formed based on a communication scheme in which, forexample, a predetermined connection setting is necessary forcommunication between the information processing device according to thepresent embodiment and each of control target devices one to one. As thesecond communication path according to the present embodiment, forexample, wireless communication using IEEE 802.15.1, wirelesscommunication using a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) such as IEEE802.11b (which may be called “Wi-Fi”), wireless communication based onZigBee (a registered trademark), wireless communication based on ANT+,wireless communication based on TransferJet (a registered trademark),and the like are exemplified.

FIG. 1 is a descriptive diagram showing an example of contentrepresented by capability information according to the presentembodiment. Herein, FIG. 1 shows an example of capability informationwhen the first communication path is a communication path formed basedon NFC and a control target device which corresponds to the capabilityinformation shown in FIG. 1 has a communication capability of performingcommunication using a plurality of communication schemes which can formthe second communication path. In addition, FIG. 1 shows an example ofcapability information when the process capability information accordingto the present embodiment is included in the capability informationaccording to the present embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1, the capability information according to the presentembodiment has, for example, “device name (nickname),” “possibility ofprocessing data received through NFC” (A shown in FIG. 1), “NFC profileinformation,” “wireless communication interface information 1” (B1 shownin FIG. 1), “wireless communication interface information 2” (B2 shownin FIG. 1), . . . , “application information,” . . . , and the like.Here, the “possibility of processing data received through NFC”indicated by A of FIG. 1 corresponds to the process capabilityinformation according to the present embodiment. Note that, as “datareceived through NFC” according to the present embodiment, for example,data received by a control target device according to the presentembodiment, data received by an external device such as an NFC tag andacquired by a control target device according to the present embodimentfrom the external device, and the like are exemplified. In addition,“wireless communication interface information 1,” “wirelesscommunication interface information 2,” . . . , indicated respectivelyby B1, B2, . . . of FIG. 1 correspond to the connection informationaccording to the present embodiment.

The information processing device according to the present embodimentcan specify a process capability and a communication capability of eachcontrol target device by, for example, acquiring the capabilityinformation shown in FIG. 1 from each of the first control target deviceand the second control target device.

Note that the capability information according to the present embodimentis not limited to the data of the content shown in FIG. 1. Thecapability information according to the present embodiment may notinclude, for example, one or two or more of “device name (nickname),”“NFC profile information,” “application information,” . . . shown inFIG. 1. In addition, the capability information according to the presentembodiment may not include “possibility of processing data receivedthrough NFC” shown in A of FIG. 1, i.e., the process capabilityinformation according to the present embodiment. In addition, althoughFIG. 1 shows an example in which a plurality of pieces of connectioninformation are included in the capability information according to thepresent embodiment (an example showing that a control target device hascommunication capabilities which correspond to a plurality ofcommunication schemes), the capability information according to thepresent embodiment may include one piece of connection information. Inaddition, FIG. 1 shows the example in which the capability informationaccording to the present embodiment is one piece of data, however, thecapability information according to the present embodiment may be a datagroup constituted by data indicating each piece of content shown in FIG.1 (or content that relates to the above modified example). Furthermore,it is needless to say that the connection information according to thepresent embodiment is not limited to the data indicating the contentshown in B1 of FIG. 1.

Hereinbelow, a decision process and a transmission control process ofthe information processing method according to the present embodimentwill be described in more detail. Note that, hereinbelow, processes ofthe information processing method according to the present embodimentwill be described mainly exemplifying a case in which the informationprocessing device according to the present embodiment acquires processcapability information of at least one of process capability informationof the first control target device and process capability information ofthe second control target device by acquiring capability informationfrom each of the first control target device and the second controltarget device through the first communication path.

(1) Decision Process

The information processing device according to the present embodimentacquires capability information of each of the first control targetdevice and the second control target device by performing communicationwith each of the first control target device and the second controltarget device through the first communication path via, for example, afirst communication unit (to be described later) included in theinformation processing device according to the present embodiment or anexternal communication device connected to the information processingdevice according to the present embodiment.

To be more specific, the information processing device according to thepresent embodiment causes the first communication unit (to be describedlater) or the like to transmit, for example, a capability informationtransmission request that includes a transmission command for causingcapability information to be transmitted and thereby acquires thecapability information transmitted from the control target devices inresponse to the capability information transmission request. Inaddition, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment may notify a user of, for example, a start notification forstarting communication through the first communication path. Here, asthe start notification according to the present embodiment, for example,a notification requesting the user to perform a touch operation on acontrol target device (an example of an operation for setting a distanceof the control target device to the information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment or to the external communicationdevice to be a communicable distance; the same applies hereinafter) isexemplified (an example of the case in which the first communicationpath is a communication path formed based on NFC).

The information processing device according to the present embodimentnotifies the user of the start notification or various notifications tobe described later using a visual notification method in which, forexample, text or an image is used, or an auditory notification method inwhich sound (including music, a beep sound, and the like; the sameapplies hereinafter) is used. In addition, as a target to be caused toperform notification by the information processing device according tothe present embodiment, for example, a display unit (to be describedlater) or an audio output unit (to be described later) included in thedevice itself (the information processing device according to thepresent embodiment) and/or an external device such as an externaldisplay device or an external audio output device are exemplified.

Here, as a capability information acquisition source from which theinformation processing device according to the present embodimentacquires the capability information, for example, control target devicesare exemplified, however, the capability information acquisition sourceaccording to the present embodiment is not limited thereto. Thecapability information acquisition source according to the presentembodiment may be, for example, an NFC tag or a non-contact IC cardaffixed to a control target device, or a single-body NFC tag or anon-contact IC card that is not affixed to a control target device. Whenthe capability information acquisition source according to the presentembodiment is an NFC tag or the like described above, the processcapability information included in the capability information indicatesthat, for example, data received through the first communication path isdifficult to process. In addition, even when the capability informationacquisition source according to the present embodiment is a controltarget device, there can be cases in which data received through thefirst communication path is difficult to process. To be more specific,as a case in which the information processing device according to thepresent embodiment has difficulty processing data received through thefirst communication path, for example, the following cases areexemplified.

-   -   A case in which a control target device does not have means for        exchanging data with an NFC tag or the like (which corresponds        to a case in which the “condition for being able to receive        connection information” is not satisfied)    -   A case in which a program executed by a control unit (to be        described later) or the like included in a control target device        fails to deal with handover using an NFC interface (which        corresponds to a case in which the “condition for being able to        analyze received connection information” is not satisfied,        and/or a case in which the “condition for being able to start        different communication based on analyzed connection        information” is not satisfied)

When the capability information of each of the first control targetdevice and the second control target device is acquired, the informationprocessing device according to the present embodiment decides a controltarget device to which connection information of the other controltarget device is to be transmitted (which may be referred to hereinafteras a “transmission target control target device”) between the firstcontrol target device and the second control target device based onprocess capability information that can be included in the acquiredcapability information. Here, by deciding the transmission targetcontrol target device to which the connection information istransmitted, a direction in which the connection information is moved isdecided, and a communication scheme that forms the second communicationpath is decided with the connection information to be transmitted. Inaddition, the type of information can be decided with informationincluded in the connection information to be transmitted.

Note that, as described above, the information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment can also acquire the processcapability information in communication that relates to theestablishment of a session of the first communication path with at leastone control target device between the first control target device andthe second control target device. When the process capabilityinformation is acquired in the communication that relates to theestablishment of a session of the first communication path, theinformation processing device according to the present embodimentdecides a transmission target control target device between the firstcontrol target device and the second control target device based on theacquired process capability information.

To be more specific, the information processing device according to thepresent embodiment decides a transmission target control target devicebased on the acquired process capability information. For example, whenboth of the process capability information of the first control targetdevice and the process capability information of the second controltarget device are acquired such as when the process capabilityinformation is included in both of the capability information of thefirst control target device and the capability information of the secondcontrol target device, the information processing device according tothe present embodiment determines a combination of presence or absenceof process capabilities of the first control target device and thesecond control target device with respect to data received through thefirst communication path based on the process capability information ofthe first control target device and the process capability informationof the second control target device. When, for example, the capabilityinformation shown in FIG. 1 is acquired, the information processingdevice according to the present embodiment determines a combination ofpresence or absence of the process capabilities of data received throughthe first communication path based on, for example, “possibility ofprocessing data received through NFC” (an example of process capabilityinformation) shown in A of FIG. 1. Then, the information processingdevice according to the present embodiment decides a transmission targetcontrol target device between the first control target device and thesecond control target device based on the determined combination.

Here, as the determined combination, for example, a first combination toa third combination described below are exemplified.

-   -   First combination: A combination in which either the first        control target device or the second control target device has a        process capability with respect to data received through the        first communication path    -   Second combination: A combination in which both of the first        control target device and the second control target device have        process capabilities with respect to data received through the        first communication path    -   Third combination: A combination in which neither the first        control target device nor the second control target device has a        process capability with respect to data received through the        first communication path

In addition, when the process capability information of one controltarget device is acquired and the process capability information of theother control target device is not acquired, for example, when theprocess capability information is included in the capability informationof one control target device and the process capability information isnot included in the capability information of the other control targetdevice, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment assumes that the other control target device does not havethe process capability with respect to data received through the firstcommunication path. In addition, in the case described above, theinformation processing device according to the present embodimentdetermines a combination of presence or absence of process capabilitiesof the first control target device and the second control target devicewith respect to data received through the first communication path basedon the assumed process capability of the other control target devicewith respect to data received through the first communication path andthe process capability information of one control target device. Then,the information processing device according to the present embodimentdecides a transmission target control target device based on thedetermined combination.

Here, as the combination determined when the process capabilityinformation of one control target device is acquired and the processcapability information of the other control target device is notacquired, the first combination or the third combination is exemplified.

In addition, when both of the process capability information of thefirst control target device and the process capability information ofthe second control target device are not acquired, for example, when theprocess capability information is not included in either of thecapability information of the first control target device or thecapability information of the second control target device, theinformation processing device according to the present embodimentassumes that neither the first control target device nor the secondcontrol target device has the process capabilities with respect to datareceived through the first communication path. In addition, in thiscase, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment determines a combination of presence or absence of processcapabilities of the first control target device and the second controltarget device with respect to data received through the firstcommunication path based on the assumed process capability of the firstcontrol target device with respect to data received through the firstcommunication path and the assumed process capability of the secondcontrol target device with respect to data received through the firstcommunication path. Then, the information processing device according tothe present embodiment decides a transmission target control targetdevice based on the determined combination.

Here, as the combination determined when the process capabilityinformation of the first control target device and the processcapability information of the second control target device are notacquired, the third combination is exemplified.

Hereinbelow, an example of each of a decision process in the firstcombination according to the present embodiment, a decision process inthe second combination according to the present embodiment, and adecision process in the third combination according to the presentembodiment will be described in detail.

(1-1) First Example of the Decision Process: Decision Process in theFirst Combination

When one of the first control target device and the second controltarget device has the process capability with respect to data receivedthrough the first communication path, for example, when processcapability information of one control target device indicates that datareceived through the first communication path can be processed andprocess capability information of the other control target device doesnot indicate that data received through the first communication path canbe processed, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment decides the one control target device to be a transmissiontarget control target device.

For example, when the first control target device has the processcapability with respect to data received through the first communicationpath and the second control target device does not have the processcapability with respect to data received through the first communicationpath, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment decides the first control target device to be a transmissiontarget control target device. In addition, for example, when the secondcontrol target device has the process capability with respect to datareceived through the first communication path and the first controltarget device does not have the process capability with respect to datareceived through the first communication path, the informationprocessing device according to the present embodiment decides the secondcontrol target device to be a transmission target control target device.

In the first combination, for example, by deciding the transmissiontarget control target device as described above, the transmission targetcontrol target device can receive and process connection information ofthe other control target device transmitted in a transmission controlprocess to be described later. Thus, by deciding the transmission targetcontrol target device as described above in the first combination, forexample, the transmission target control target device can performcommunication with the other control target device using the connectioninformation through the second communication path.

In other words, by deciding the transmission target control targetdevice as described above in the first combination, for example, thefirst control target device and the second control target device canperform communication through the second communication path even wheneither of the first control target device or the second control targetdevice is a device to which an NFC tag or the like is affixed. Inaddition, it is not necessary for a user to be aware of anauthentication process and a setting process for the communicationbetween the first control target device and the second control targetdevice through the second communication path.

Thus, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment can control communication performed between the controltarget devices by, for example, deciding the transmission target controltarget device as described above in the first combination.

(1-2) Second Example of the Decision Process: Decision Process in theSecond Combination

When both of the first control target device and the second controltarget device have the process capabilities with respect to datareceived through the first communication path, both of the first controltarget device and the second control target device can receive andprocess connection information of the other control target devicetransmitted in the transmission control process to be described later.

Thus, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment decides, for example, a control target device thatcorresponds to process capability information that is acquired laterbetween the first control target device and the second control targetdevice as a transmission target control target device.

Here, when the control target device that corresponds to processcapability information that is acquired later is decided as atransmission target control target device, for example, the informationprocessing device according to the present embodiment can transmitconnection information of the other control target device incommunication through the first communication path that relates toacquisition of the process capability information and then can cause thetransmission target control target device to process the connectioninformation in the transmission control process to be described later.In addition, when the transmission target control target device canreceive and process the connection information of the other controltarget device in the communication through the first communication paththat relates to the acquisition of the process capability information,for example, it is not necessary for the information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment and the transmission target controltarget device to start the communication through the first communicationpath again (or it is highly likely that starting the communicationthrough the first communication path again is not necessary). For thisreason, when, for example, the first communication path is acommunication path formed based on NFC, the information processingdevice according to the present embodiment can cause the transmissiontarget control target device to process the connection information ofthe other control target information without causing a user to perform atouch operation with respect to the transmission target control targetdevice again.

Note that, regardless of whether the first communication path is acommunication path formed based on NFC, the information processingdevice according to the present embodiment may cause the connectioninformation of the other control target device to be transmitted incommunication through the first communication path that has been startedagain, rather than in communication through the first communication paththat relates to the acquisition of the process capability information inthe transmission control process to be described later. When theconnection information of the other control target device is transmittedin the communication through the first communication path that has beenstarted again, the information processing device according to thepresent embodiment notifies the user of, for example, a startnotification for starting the communication through the firstcommunication path.

As described above, by deciding a control target device that correspondsto the process capability information that is acquired later in thesecond combination as a transmission target control target device, theinformation processing device according to the present embodiment cancontrol communication performed between control target devices.

Note that the decision process in the second combination is not limitedto the above. For example, the information processing device accordingto the present embodiment can decide a transmission target controltarget device based on connection information included in the capabilityinformation of the first control target device and connectioninformation included in the capability information of the second controltarget device.

The information processing device according to the present embodimentdecides a transmission target control target device based on, forexample, a valid flag included in the connection information as shown inB1 of FIG. 1 and using the connection information of which the validflag is valid (in the example shown in FIG. 1, the connectioninformation in which the valid flag is “Enable”).

Note that the connection information used by the information processingdevice according to the present embodiment is not limited to theconnection information of which the valid flag is valid. For example,the information processing device according to the present embodimentmay determine valid connection information based on other data includedin the connection information such as “status information,” “term ofvalidity information,” or “possibility of processing data receivedthrough the interface” shown in B1 of FIG. 1, and then decide atransmission target control target device using the connectioninformation determined to be valid. Here, there are cases in which, inorder to reduce power consumption, the wireless communication functionof a device that has a communication interface is selectively activatedas necessary, rather than being activated at all times. The statusinformation according to the present embodiment is data indicating suchan activation state of the wireless communication function. In addition,the term of validity information according to the present embodiment isdata that controls a valid state of connection information (a state inwhich use of the connection information is allowed). As the term ofvalidity information according to the present embodiment, dataindicating the number of valid touches that controls the valid statewith the number of touch operations, valid time data that controls thevalid state depending on a period, and the like are exemplified. When,for example, the term of validity information is data indicating that avalid time is one minute, a state of the connection informationindicates that the connection reception time taken for a control targetdevice that corresponds to the term of validity information to performthe communication through the second communication path is one minute.In addition, “possibility of processing data received through theinterface” shown in B1 of FIG. 1 is data indicating whether or not datareceived through the second communication path formed using theconnection information can be processed. When, for example, the“possibility of processing data received through the interface” (shownin B1 of FIG. 1) included in the connection information does notindicate that it is difficult to process data received through thesecond communication path, the information processing device accordingto the present embodiment does not determine the connection informationas valid connection information. Note that, as “data received throughthe interface” according to the present embodiment, for example, datareceived by the control target device according to the presentembodiment, data received by an external interface that is an externalcommunication interface of the control target device according to thepresent embodiment and acquired from the external interface by thecontrol target device according to the present embodiment, and the likeare exemplified.

In addition, with respect to communication schemes that can form thesecond communication path, there can be various communication schemes,for example, a communication scheme such as IEEE 802.15.1 in whichauthentication is necessary for starting communication, a communicationscheme such as IEEE 802.15.1 or ZigBee (a registered trademark) in whichroles for communication such as a master (entity that actively performscommunication) and a slave (entity that passively performscommunication) are decided, and the like. The information processingdevice according to the present embodiment decides a transmission targetcontrol target device so that communication through the secondcommunication path is normally established through the decision of thetransmission target control target device based on the connectioninformation.

For example, when connection information with respect to thecommunication scheme in which authentication is necessary for startingcommunication is transmitted in the transmission control process thatwill be described later, the information processing device according tothe present embodiment decides both of the first control target deviceand the second control target device as transmission target controltarget devices. In this case, the information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment transmits connection information ofthe other control target device to both of the first control targetdevice and the second control target device in the transmission controlprocess that will be described later. Thus, the first control targetdevice and the second control target device perform authenticationusing, for example, the “authentication scheme” and “authenticationinformation” included in the connection information shown in B1 of FIG.1, and then can perform communication through the second communicationpath.

In addition, when connection information with respect to thecommunication scheme in which roles for communication such as a masterand a slave are decided is transmitted in the transmission controlprocess that will be described later, for example, the informationprocessing device according to the present embodiment specifies acontrol target device which corresponds to a master based on dataindicating roles for communication included in the connectioninformation (for example, a flag indicating a master or a slave, or thelike). Then, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment decides the specified control target device as a transmissiontarget control target device out of the first control target device andthe second control target device.

Here, when both of the first control target device and the secondcontrol target device correspond to masters, the information processingdevice according to the present embodiment decides a control targetdevice having a high priority as a transmission target control targetdevice based on, for example, priorities set for each of the firstcontrol target device and the second control target device. Here, thepriorities set according to the present embodiment may be set in advanceor set (or reset) based on a user operation or the like. Note that adecision method of a transmission target control target device when bothof the first control target device and the second control target deviceare masters is not limited to the above. For example, the informationprocessing device according to the present embodiment may decide acontrol target device that corresponds to the capability informationacquired later as a transmission target control target device when bothof the first control target device and the second control target deviceare masters.

By deciding a transmission target control target device based onconnection information as described above, for example, the transmissiontarget control target device can receive and process the connectioninformation of the other control target device transmitted in thetransmission control process that will be described later. In addition,as the transmission target control target device is decided based onconnection information, the transmission target control target devicecan perform normal communication through the second communication path.

Thus, by deciding the transmission target control target device based onthe connection information in the second combination as described above,the information processing device according to the present embodimentcan control communication between the control target devices.

(1-3) Third Example of the Decision Process: Decision Process in theThird Combination

When neither the first control target device nor the second controltarget device has process capabilities with respect to data receivedthrough the first communication path, it is not possible to decide atransmission target control target device even if process capabilityinformation indicating whether data received through the firstcommunication path can be processed is used.

Thus, based on the connection information of the first control targetdevice, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment determines presence or absence of a process capability of thefirst control device with respect to data received through acommunication path that is formed based on the connection information.In addition, based on the connection information of the second controltarget device, the information processing device according to thepresent embodiment determines presence or absence of the second controltarget device with respect to data received through a communication paththat is formed based on the connection information. Then, theinformation processing device according to the present embodimentdecides a transmission target control target device based on a“determination result of the presence or absence of a process capabilitywith respect to data” or based on “the determination result and an orderof acquiring capability information, set priorities, or a useroperation.”

To be more specific, based on data that is included in the acquiredconnection information of each control target device indicating whetherdata received through the second communication path formed using theconnection information can be processed (for example, “possibility ofprocessing data received through the interface” shown in B1 of FIG. 1),the information processing device according to the present embodimentdetermines presence or absence of a process capability of data receivedthrough a communication path that is formed based on the connectioninformation of each control target device. When the determination resultof the presence or absence of a process capability with respect to dataindicates that one control target device has the process capability withrespect to data received through a communication path that is formedbased on the connection information and the other control target devicedoes not have the process capability with respect to data receivedthrough a communication path that is formed based on the connectioninformation, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment decides the one control target device as a transmissiontarget control target device.

In addition, when the determination result of the presence or absence ofa process capability with respect to data indicates that neither thefirst control target device nor the second control target device has aprocess capability with respect to data received through a communicationpath that is formed based on the connection information, if either ofthe first control target device and the second control target device isdecided as a transmission target control target device, it is difficultfor the transmission target control target device to process theconnection information of the other control target device which istransmitted in the transmission control process that will be describedlater. Thus, in this case, the information processing device accordingto the present embodiment notifies a user of, for example, an errorindicating that the first control target device and the second controltarget device are not able to perform communication. Here, as an errornotification according to the present embodiment, for example,displaying an error screen that includes an error message or an errorimage on a display screen, outputting a sound indicating an errormessage, or the like is exemplified.

In addition, when the determination result of the presence or absence ofa process capability with respect to data indicates that both of thefirst control target device and the second control target device haveprocess capabilities with respect to data received through acommunication path that is formed based on the connection information,the information processing device according to the present embodimentdecides a transmission target control target device based on, forexample, an order of acquiring process capability information, setpriorities, or a user operation.

When a transmission target control target device is decided based on theorder of acquiring process capability information, the informationprocessing device according to the present embodiment decides, forexample, a control target device that corresponds to the processcapability information that is acquired later as the transmission targetcontrol target device. Note that the information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment may decide, for example, a controltarget device that corresponds to the process capability informationthat is acquired earlier as the transmission target control targetdevice.

In addition, when a transmission target control target device is decidedbased on the set priorities, the information processing device accordingto the present embodiment decides a control target device having a highpriority as the transmission target control target device based on, forexample, the priorities set for each of the first control target deviceand the second control target device. Note that a priority according tothe present embodiment is not limited to a priority set for the firstcontrol target device and the second control target device. The priorityaccording to the present embodiment may be, for example, a priority setfor the communication scheme that relates to the second communicationpath. When the priority according to the present embodiment is thepriority set for the communication scheme that relates to the secondcommunication path, the information processing device according to thepresent embodiment decides a transmission target control target devicebased on, for example, connection information that responds to acommunication scheme having a higher priority as in the decision processof the second example described above.

In addition, when a transmission target control target device is decidedbased on a user operation, the information processing device accordingto the present embodiment notifies the user of the notificationindicating that, for example, a selection operation of selecting atransmission target control target device is performed. As anotification indicating that a selection operation according to thepresent embodiment is performed, for example, displaying a selectionscreen on which any of the first control target device and the secondcontrol target device can be selected on the display screen or the likeis exemplified. Then, based on, for example, an operation signaltransferred from an operation unit (to be described later) according toa selection operation, or an operation signal transmitted from anexternal operation device such as a remote controller according to aselection operation, the information processing device according to thepresent embodiment decides a control target device represented by theoperation signal as the transmission target control target device.

Here, when neither the first control target device nor the secondcontrol target device has a process capability with respect to datareceived through the first communication path, it is difficult for bothof the first control target device and the second control target deviceto receive, through the first communication path, and process theconnection information of the other control target device transmitted inthe transmission control process that will be described later. Thus, inthis case, the information processing device of the present embodimentcauses the connection information of the other control target device tobe transmitted to the transmission target control target device usingcommunication through a third communication path that is different fromthe first communication path in the transmission control process thatwill be described later. Here, the third communication path according tothe present embodiment is a communication path formed based on acommunication scheme represented by the connection information includedin the capability information of each control target device. As thethird communication path according to the present embodiment, forexample, wireless communication that uses IEEE 802.15.1, wirelesscommunication that uses a wireless LAN of IEEE 802.11b, or the like isexemplified.

When the first control target device is decided as a transmission targetcontrol target device, the information processing device according tothe present embodiment can perform communication with the first controltarget device through the third communication path using the connectioninformation included in the capability information of the first controltarget device. In addition, when the second control target device isdecided as a transmission target control target device, the informationprocessing device according to the present embodiment can performcommunication with the second control target device through the thirdcommunication path using the connection information included in thecapability information of the second control target device. Thus, ifeither of the first control target device and the second control targetdevice is decided as a transmission target control target device, thetransmission target control target device can receive and process theconnection information of the other control target device transmitted inthe transmission control process that will be described later.

Therefore, by deciding a transmission target control target device asdescribed above in the third combination, the information processingdevice according to the present embodiment can control communicationbetween the control target devices.

The information processing device according to the present embodimentperforms, for example, the process relating to the first example, theprocess relating to the second example, or the process relating to thethird example based on the determination result of the combination ofpresence or absence of a process capability of data received through thefirst communication path. By performing the process relating to thefirst example, the process relating to the second example, or theprocess relating to the third example, the information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment can decide a transmission targetcontrol target device.

Note that a decision process of the information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment is not limited to the processesrelating to the first example to the third example.

(1-4) Fourth Example of the Decision Process

As shown in FIG. 1, the capability information according to the presentembodiment includes, for example, a plurality of pieces of connectioninformation. The information processing device according to the presentembodiment decides, for example, the communication scheme for the secondcommunication path based on the connection information included in thecapability information of the first control target device and theconnection information included in the capability information of thesecond control target device. To be more specific, the informationprocessing device according to the present embodiment compares thecommunication scheme represented by valid connection informationincluded in the capability information of the first control targetdevice and the communication scheme represented by valid connectioninformation included in the capability information of the second controltarget device, and then decides a communication scheme that both of thecontrol target devices correspond to as the communication scheme for thesecond communication path. In addition, when there are a plurality ofcommunication schemes that both of the control target devices correspondto, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment decides, for example, a communication scheme having a higherpriority as a communication scheme for the second communication pathaccording to set priorities. Here, the information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment determines valid connectioninformation based on data included in the connection information, forexample, the “valid flag,” “status information,” “term of validityinformation,” and “possibility of processing data received through theinterface” shown in B1 of FIG. 1.

In addition, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment causes the connection information with respect to the decidedcommunication scheme to be transmitted to the transmission targetcontrol target device in the transmission control process that will bedescribed later.

Thus, by deciding the communication scheme that both of the controltarget devices respond to as the communication scheme for the secondcommunication path as described above, the information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment can cause the first control targetdevice and the second control target device to perform normalcommunication through the second communication path.

In addition, when the decided communication scheme has a communicationdistance shorter than a predetermined distance that has been set, theinformation processing device according to the present embodiment maynotify the user of a notification indicating that the control targetdevices should be brought close to each other. Here as the predetermineddistance that has been set, for example, a preset distance such as acommunication distance of a communication scheme that forms the firstcommunication path, or a distance that is set (or reset) with a useroperation or the like is exemplified. In addition, when the decidedcommunication scheme is a communication scheme having a communicationspeed faster than that of the communication scheme that forms the firstcommunication path and a communication distance shorter than that of thecommunication scheme that forms the first communication path (forexample, TransferJet (a registered trademark) or the like), theinformation processing device according to the present embodiment maynotify the user of a notification indicating that the control targetdevices should be brought close to each other. As the notificationindicating that the control target devices according to the presentembodiment should be brought close to each other, for example,displaying a guide screen instructing that the control target devices bebrought close to each other on the display screen, outputting a guidesound indicating that the control target devices should be brought closeto each other, or the like is exemplified.

(1-5) Fifth Example of the Decision Process

In addition, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment may notify the user of a communication scheme in which thefirst control target device and the second control target device cancommunicate with each other based on, for example, the connectioninformation included in the capability information of the first controltarget device and the connection information included in the capabilityinformation of the second control target device. When the user isnotified of the communication scheme in which the first control targetdevice and the second control target device can communicate with eachother, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment decides a communication scheme for the second communicationpath based on, for example, a user operation.

Here, as a notification of the communication scheme in which the firstcontrol target device and the second control target device cancommunicate with each other, for example, displaying, on the displayscreen, a selection screen on which one communication scheme can beselected from communication schemes that both of the control targetdevices respond to, or the like is exemplified. Based on, for example,an operation signal transferred from the operation unit (to be describedlater) according to a user operation or an operation signal transmittedfrom an external operation device such as a remote controller accordingto a user operation, the information processing device according to thepresent embodiment decides a communication scheme indicated by theoperation signal as the communication scheme for the secondcommunication path.

In addition, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment causes the connection information with respect to the decidedcommunication scheme to be transmitted to the transmission targetcontrol target device in the transmission control process that will bedescribed later.

As described above, by deciding the communication scheme based on theuser operation as the communication scheme for the second communicationpath between the communication schemes that both of the control targetdevices respond to, the information processing device according to thepresent embodiment can cause the first control target device and thesecond control target device to perform normal communication through thesecond communication path.

(1-6) Sixth Example of the Decision Process

In addition, the capability information according to the presentembodiment can include information (data; the term of validityinformation shown in B1 of FIG. 1) indicating the term of validity (forexample, a condition with regard to a number or time) as shown inFIG. 1. When connection information to be transmitted to a transmissiontarget control target device (connection information of the othercontrol target device) is not transmitted thereto within the term ofvalidity indicated by information indicating the term of validityincluded in the connection information, the information processingdevice according to the present embodiment may set the acquiredconnection information to be in an invalid state. In addition, theinformation processing device according to the present embodiment maygive a notification with respect to the term of validity represented bythe information of the term of validity (for example, a notificationindicating within how many minutes a touch operation or the like shouldbe performed, a notification indicating the remaining number of validtouches, etc.).

Here, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment sets the connection information to be in an invalid state bysetting, for example, a valid flag included in the connectioninformation to be in an invalid state (for example, setting the flag to“Disable” in the example of B1 of FIG. 1), however, a process of settingthe connection information by the information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment is not limited to the above. Forexample, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment may set the acquired connection information to be in theinvalid state by deleting the acquired connection information.

By setting the acquired connection information to be in the invalidstate, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment can restrict communication between the control target devicesbased on connection information of which the term of validity hasexpired. Thus, by setting the acquired connection information to be inthe invalid state, the information processing device according to thepresent embodiment can control communication between the control targetdevices more strictly.

In addition, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment may notify the user of the fact that the term of validity ofthe connection information has been terminated when, for example, theacquired connection information is set to be in the invalid state. Here,as a notification indicating that the term of validity of the connectioninformation according to the present embodiment has been terminated, forexample, displaying an alert screen indicating that the term of validityof the connection information has been terminated on the display screen,displaying a guide screen that instructs to perform a touch operation oneach of the control target devices again, or the like is exemplified.

(1-7) Seventh Example of the Decision Process

In addition, there are also cases in which, for example, the firstcontrol target device according to the present embodiment and the secondcontrol target device according to the present embodiment are not ableto perform communication through the second communication path. As thecase in which it is difficult to perform the communication through thesecond communication path, for example, when the first control targetdevice according to the present embodiment and the second control targetdevice according to the present embodiment do not include acommunication interface that responds to a common communication scheme,or are not able to use the communication interface that responds to acommon communication scheme, or when applications that use thecommunication interface are not compatible with each other isexemplified.

The information processing device according to the present embodimentdetermines whether or not the communication through the secondcommunication path can be performed with reference to acquiredcapability information of each control target device (to be morespecific, various kinds of data included in the capability information,for example, connection information, application information, and thelike). Then, when the communication through the second communicationpath is determined not to be performed, the information processingdevice according to the present embodiment notifies the user of an errorindicating that the first control target device and the second controltarget device are not able to perform the communication. Here, as anerror notification according to the present embodiment, for example,displaying an error screen that includes an error message or an errorimage on the display screen, outputting a sound indicating an errormessage, or the like is exemplified.

(2) Transmission Control Process

When a transmission target control target device is decided in theprocess (1) (decision process) described above, the informationprocessing device according to the present embodiment causes connectioninformation of the other control target device to be transmitted to thedecided transmission target control target device.

To be more specific, the information processing device according to thepresent embodiment causes the connection information to be transmittedthrough, for example, a communication path corresponding to thecombination of presence or absence of the process capability of datareceived through the first communication path determined in the process(1) (decision process) described above.

(2-1) When the First Combination or the Second Combination is Determinedin the Process (1) (Decision Process) Described Above

When the first combination or the second combination is determined inthe process (1) (decision process) described above, the transmissiontarget control target device can receive and process the connectioninformation using the first communication path. Thus, in this case, theinformation processing device according to the present embodiment causesthe connection information to be transmitted using the firstcommunication path.

Here, the first communication path that the information processingdevice according to the present embodiment uses to transmit theconnection information may be a first communication path that relates toacquisition of process capability information, or a first communicationpath that has been formed again.

Note that, as described above, when the first communication path is acommunication path formed based on NFC, for example, the informationprocessing device according to the present embodiment can cause thetransmission target control target device to process the connectioninformation of the other control target device by transmitting theconnection information through the first communication path that relatesto acquisition of process capability information, without causing theuser to perform a touch operation on the transmission target controltarget device again.

Thus, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment causes the connection information to be transmitted using thefirst communication path that relates to acquisition of the processcapability information when, for example, the connection information ofthe other control target device can be transmitted to the transmissiontarget control target device through the first communication path onwhich the process capability information is acquired. In addition, when,for example, it is difficult to transmit the connection information ofthe other control target device to the transmission target controltarget device through the first communication path on which the processcapability information is acquired, the information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment causes the communication using thefirst communication path to be performed again to form the firstcommunication path again. Then, the information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment causes the connection information ofthe other control target device to be transmitted to the transmissiontarget control target device using the first communication path that isformed again.

Here, as cases in which it is difficult to cause connection informationto be transmitted to a transmission target control target device throughthe first communication path on which process capability information hasbeen acquired, for example, the following cases of (a) to (e) areexemplified.

(a) a case in which the transmission target control target devicedecided in the process (1) (decision process) described above is acontrol target device between the first control target device and thesecond control target device which corresponds to process capabilityinformation that has been acquired earlier.

(b) a case in which the communication scheme used for performing P2Pcommunication through the second communication path (the communicationscheme that forms the second communication path) is a communicationscheme in which nodes are in the master-slave relation as in, forexample, IEEE 802.15.1 or ZigBee (a registered trademark).

(c) a case in which the communication scheme that forms the secondcommunication path is a communication scheme that requires mutualauthentication, in which authentication data (for example, theauthentication scheme and authentication information shown in B1 ofFIG. 1) necessary for the mutual authentication is exchanged.

(d) a case in which the communication scheme that forms the secondcommunication path is a communication scheme that performs encryption ofthe communication path, in which session keys necessary for theencryption of the communication path are exchanged.

(e) a case in which, via the information processing device according tothe present embodiment, status information (for example, the statusinformation shown in B1 of FIG. 1) of one control target device istransferred to the other control target device, and the informationprocessing device according to the present embodiment receives a signalthat has been transmitted from the other control target device torequest a change of status of the one control target device.

In the case (b) described above, the information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment determines the master-slave relationbetween the nodes based on the connection information of each controltarget device in the process (1) (decision process) described above, andthereby decides a transmission target control target device. Inaddition, in the case (c) described above, the information processingdevice according to the present embodiment determines whether or not itis necessary for the control target devices to exchange authenticationdata for performing mutual authentication based on the connectioninformation of each control target device in the process (1) (decisionprocess) described above, and thereby decides a transmission targetcontrol target device. In addition, in the case (d) described above, theinformation processing device according to the present embodimentdetermines whether or not it is necessary for the control target devicesto exchange session keys for encryption of the communication path basedon the connection information of each control target device in theprocess (1) (decision process) described above, and thereby decides atransmission target control target device. In addition, in the case (e)described above, the information processing device according to thepresent embodiment decides a control target device which is a changetarget of status as a transmission target control target device basedon, for example, a received signal that requests a change of status. Inaddition, as a determination result of each of (b) to (d) describedabove, when the transmission target control target device is the controltarget device that corresponds to the capability information that hasbeen acquired earlier between the first control target device and thesecond control target device based on the decision result of (e)described above, the information processing device according to thepresent embodiment determines that it is difficult to cause theconnection information to be transmitted to the transmission targetcontrol target device through the first communication path on which thecapability information has been acquired.

Note that, when the connection information of the other control targetdevice can be transmitted to the transmission target control targetdevice through, for example, the first communication path on which theprocess capability information has been acquired, the informationprocessing device according to the present embodiment can also performcommunication through the first communication path again.

In addition, when the first communication path is formed again, theinformation processing device according to the present embodiment maynotify the user of, for example, a start notification for starting thecommunication through the first communication path described above. Inaddition, in the case (c) described above, the user may be notified ofthe authentication result (for example, success or failure).

(2-2) When the Third Combination is Determined in the Process (1)(Decision Process) Described Above

When the third combination is determined in the process (1) (decisionprocess) described above, it is difficult for the transmission targetcontrol target device to receive and process the connection informationthrough the first communication path. Thus, in such a case, theinformation processing device according to the present embodiment causesthe connection information to be transmitted through a thirdcommunication path (a different communication path from the firstcommunication path) that is based on the connection information.

The information processing device according to the present embodimentcauses the connection information to be transmitted through, forexample, a communication path corresponding to the combination ofpresence or absence of the process capability of data received throughthe first communication path determined in the process (1) (decisionprocess) described above.

Note that the transmission control process in the information processingdevice according to the present embodiment is not limited to causing theconnection information to be transmitted through the communication paththat corresponds to the combination of presence or absence of theprocess capability with respect to data received through the firstcommunication path which has been determined in the process (1)(decision process) described above. For example, the informationprocessing device according to the present embodiment may cause theconnection information to be transmitted in communication through thethird communication path regardless of the determination result of thecombination in the process (1) (decision process) described above.

In addition, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment causes, for example, connection information that responds tothe communication scheme decided in the process (1) (decision process)described above to be transmitted to the transmission target controltarget device.

The information processing device according to the present embodimentperforms, for example, the process (1) (decision process) describedabove and the process (2) (transmission control process) described aboveas processes relating to the information processing method according tothe present embodiment. Here, the information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment decides a transmission targetcontrol target device (a control target device to which the connectioninformation of the other control target device is to be transmitted) inthe process (1) (decision process) described above, and causes theconnection information of the other control target device to betransmitted to the decided transmission target control target device inthe process (2) (transmission control process) described above. Inaddition, the transmission target control target device decided in theprocess (1) (decision process) described above is a control targetdevice between the first control target device and the second controltarget device that can receive the connection information of the othercontrol target device and process the connection information.

Thus, as the information processing device according to the presentembodiment performs the process (1) (decision process) described aboveand the process (2) (transmission control process) described above, thetransmission target control target device can perform communication withthe other control target device through the second communication pathusing the connection information. In other words, as the informationprocessing device according to the present embodiment performs theprocess (1) (decision process) described above and the process (2)(transmission control process) described above, the first control targetdevice and the second control target device can perform communicationwith each other through the second communication path even when, forexample, one or each of the first control target device and the secondcontrol target device is a device to which an NFC tag or the like isaffixed.

Therefore, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment can control the communication performed between the controltarget devices by performing the processes relating to the informationprocessing method according to the present embodiment. In addition, asthe information processing device according to the present embodimentcontrols the communication performed between the control target devices,various kinds of handover between the control target devices can berealized.

In addition, since the information processing method according to thepresent embodiment causes the connection information of the othercontrol target device to be transmitted to the transmission targetcontrol target device, it is not necessary for the user to be aware ofthe authentication process or the setting process for the first controltarget device and the second control target device to perform thecommunication through the second communication path. Thus, theinformation processing method according to the present embodiment canenhance convenience for the user by performing the processes relating tothe information processing method according to the present embodiment.

[2] Specific Examples of a Process Relating to the InformationProcessing Method According to the Present Embodiment

Next, a process relating to the information processing method accordingto the present embodiment described above will be described in moredetail. Hereinbelow, the process relating to the information processingmethod according to the present embodiment in each of (A) the case inwhich the combination of presence or absence of the process capabilitiesof the first control target device and the second control target devicewith respect to data received through the first communication path isthe first combination, (B) the case in which the combination is thesecond combination, and (C) the case in which the combination is thethird combination will be described.

In addition, hereinbelow, the process relating to the informationprocessing method according to the present embodiment will be describedmainly exemplifying a case in which at least one of the capabilityinformation of the first control target device and the capabilityinformation of the second control target device which are acquiredthrough the first communication path includes the process capabilityinformation according to the present embodiment. As described above,when the process capability information according to the presentembodiment is included in the capability information according to thepresent embodiment, the information processing device according to thepresent embodiment determines presence or absence of the processcapability of the control target device that corresponds to thecapability information with respect to data received through the firstcommunication path based on the process capability information. Inaddition, when the process capability information according to thepresent embodiment is not included in the capability informationaccording to the present embodiment, the information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment assumes that the control targetdevice that corresponds to the capability information does not have theprocess capability with respect to the data received through the firstcommunication path.

Note that, as described above, the information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment can also acquire the processcapability information through communication that relates to theestablishment of a session of the first communication path between atleast one of the first control target device and the second controltarget device. An example of the process relating to the informationprocessing method according to the embodiment when the processcapability information is acquired in the communication that relates tothe establishment of the session of the first communication path will beshown in (D) another example of the process relating to the informationprocessing method according to the embodiment to be described later.

In addition, hereinbelow, the process relating to the informationprocessing method according to the embodiment will be describedexemplifying a case in which the information processing device accordingto the present embodiment is a portable-type communication device suchas a smartphone. In addition, hereinbelow, the process relating to theinformation processing method according to the embodiment will bedescribed exemplifying a case in which the first control target devicewhich is a control target device of which communication is controlled bythe information processing method according to the embodiment is a PC(Personal Computer) and the second control target device is a printer.Note that it is needless to say that the information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment is not limited to a portable-typecommunication device and the control target device according to thepresent embodiment is not limited to a PC and a printer. Hereinbelow,there are cases in which the information processing device according tothe present embodiment is denoted as an “information processing device100,” the first control target device according to the presentembodiment as a “first control target device 200A,” and the secondcontrol target device according to the present embodiment as a “secondcontrol target device 200B.”

In addition, hereinbelow, description will be provided exemplifying acase in which the first communication path according to the presentembodiment is a communication path formed based on NFC.

(A) Process Relating to the Information Processing Method According tothe Present Embodiment in the First Combination (A-1) First Example ofthe Process Relating to the Information Processing Method According tothe Present Embodiment

FIG. 2 is an illustrative diagram for describing a first example of theprocess relating to the information processing method according to theembodiment, showing an example of a process performed in an informationprocessing system according to the present embodiment which has theinformation processing device 100, the first control target device 200A,and the second control target device 200B. In addition, FIG. 2 shows anexample of the process when the combination of presence or absence ofthe process capabilities of the first control target device and thesecond control target device with respect to data received through thefirst communication path is the first combination. To be specific, FIG.2 shows an example in which the first control target device 200A doesnot have the function of processing data received through the firstcommunication path and the second control target device 200B has thefunction of processing data received through the first communicationpath.

Herein, the information processing system shown in FIG. 2 is set suchthat the information processing device 100 has the function of aninitiator in NFC (which is a so-called reader-writer function; the sameapplies hereinbelow) and the function of a target in NFC (which is aso-called card function; the same applies hereinbelow), and the secondcontrol target device 200B has the function of a target in NFC. Inaddition, the information processing system shown in FIG. 2 is set suchthat an NFC tag that stores capability information of the first controltarget device 200A is affixed to the first control target device 200A.In addition, the information processing system shown in FIG. 2 is setsuch that the first control target device 200A and the second controltarget device 200B each include communication interfaces that correspondto IEEE 802.15.1.

In addition, in FIG. 2, the process of Step S104 corresponds to theprocess (1) (decision process) described above and the process of StepS106 corresponds to the process (2) (transmission control process)described above.

The information processing device 100 performs communication with theNFC tag affixed to the first control target device 200A through thefirst communication path, thereby acquiring capability information A ofthe first control target device 200A (S100). The communication with theNFC tag affixed to the first control target device 200A through thefirst communication path is performed as, for example, the informationprocessing device 100 plays the role as a reader-writer. In addition, asthe capability information A, for example, data in the format shown inFIG. 1 is exemplified, however, the capability information A is notlimited to the data of the format shown in FIG. 1.

The information processing device 100 performs communication with thesecond control target device 200B through the first communication path,thereby acquiring capability information B of the second control targetdevice 200B (S102). The communication with the second control targetdevice 200B through the first communication path is performed as, forexample, the information processing device 100 plays the role as areader-writer. In addition, as the capability information B, forexample, data in the format shown in FIG. 1 is exemplified, however, thecapability information B is not limited to the data of the format shownin FIG. 1.

When the capability information A of the first control target device200A is acquired in Step S100 and the capability information B of thesecond control target device 200B is acquired in Step S102, theinformation processing device 100 decides a transmission target controltarget device based on the capability information A and the capabilityinformation B (S104). Here, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the firstcontrol target device 200A does not have the function of processing datareceived through the first communication path and the second controltarget device 200B has the function of processing data received throughthe first communication path. Thus, the information processing device100 decides the second control target device 200B as the transmissiontarget control target device in Step S104.

When the transmission target control target device is decided in StepS104, the information processing device 100 causes connectioninformation A of the first control target device 200A (connectioninformation of the other control target device) to be transmitted to thesecond control target device 200B as the transmission target controltarget device through the first communication path (S106). Here, whenthe connection information can be transmitted through the firstcommunication path on which the capability information B has beenacquired in Step S102, the information processing device 100 causes theconnection information to be transmitted through the first communicationpath on which the capability information B has been acquired. Asdescribed above, by causing the connection information to be transmittedthrough the first communication path on which the capability informationB has been acquired, the information processing device 100 can cause theconnection information to be transmitted without causing a user toperform a touch operation with respect to the second control targetdevice 200B again. Thus, as described above, when the connectioninformation is transmitted through the first communication path on whichthe capability information B has been acquired, the informationprocessing device 100 can improve convenience for the user.

Note that the process of Step S106 is not limited to the process ofcausing the connection information A to be transmitted through the firstcommunication path on which the capability information B has beenacquired. For example, the information processing device 100 may performcommunication with the second control target device 200B through thefirst communication path again and cause the connection information A tobe transmitted through the first communication path that has been formedagain. When performing the communication with the second control targetdevice 200B through the first communication path again, the informationprocessing device 100 notifies the user of, for example, a startnotification for starting the communication through the firstcommunication path.

Here, in FIG. 2, since the second control target device 200B has thefunction of processing data received through the first communicationpath, the second control target device 200B can receive the connectioninformation A transmitted in Step S106 and process the receivedconnection information A. Thus, the second control target device 200Bthat has received the connection information A transmitted in Step S106starts communication with the first control target device 200A throughthe second communication path using the received connection informationA of the first control target device 200A (S108). In the example shownin FIG. 2, the second control target device 200B performs communicationwith the first control target device 200A using a communicationinterface that responds to IEEE 802.15.1.

When the first control target device 200A does not have the function ofprocessing data received through the first communication path and thesecond control target device 200B has the function of processing datareceived through the first communication path, for example, the processshown in FIG. 2 is performed in the information processing systemaccording to the present embodiment, and thereby communication betweenthe first control target device 200A and the second control targetdevice 200B is performed through the second communication path. Thus, byperforming, for example, the process shown in FIG. 2, the informationprocessing device 100 can control the communication between the controltarget devices.

(A-2) Second Example of the Process Relating to the InformationProcessing Method According to the Present Embodiment

FIG. 3 is an illustrative diagram for describing a second example of theprocess relating to the information processing method according to thepresent embodiment, showing an example of a process performed in theinformation processing system according to the present embodiment whichhas the information processing device 100, the first control targetdevice 200A, and the second control target device 200B. In addition,FIG. 3 shows an example of the process when the combination of presenceor absence of the process capabilities of the first control targetdevice and the second control target device with respect to datareceived through the first communication path is the first combination.To be specific, FIG. 3 shows an example in which the first controltarget device 200A has the function of processing data received throughthe first communication path and the second control target device 200Bdoes not have the function of processing data received through the firstcommunication path.

Herein, the information processing system shown in FIG. 3 is set suchthat the information processing device 100 has the function of aninitiator in NFC and the function of a target in NFC, and the firstcontrol target device 200A has the function of a target in NFC. Inaddition, the information processing system shown in FIG. 3 is set suchthat an NFC tag that stores capability information of the second controltarget device 200B is affixed to the second control target device 200B.In addition, the information processing system shown in FIG. 3 is setsuch that the first control target device 200A and the second controltarget device 200B each include communication interfaces that correspondto IEEE 802.15.1.

In addition, in FIG. 3, the process of Step S204 corresponds to theprocess (1) (decision process) described above and the process of StepF206 corresponds to the process (2) (transmission control process)described above.

The information processing device 100 performs communication with thefirst control target device 200A through the first communication path,thereby acquiring the capability information A of the first controltarget device 200A (S200). The communication with the first controltarget device 200A through the first communication path is performed as,for example, the information processing device 100 plays the role of areader-writer.

In addition, the information processing device 100 performscommunication with the NFC tag affixed to the second control targetdevice 200B through the first communication path, thereby acquiring thecapability information B of the second control target device 200B(S202). The communication with the NFC tag affixed to the second controltarget device 200B through the first communication path is performed as,for example, the information processing device 100 plays the role of areader-writer.

When the capability information A of the first control target device200A is acquired in Step S200 and the capability information B of thesecond control target device 200B is acquired in Step S202, theinformation processing device 100 decides a transmission target controltarget device based on the capability information A and the capabilityinformation B (S204). Here, in the example shown in FIG. 3, the firstcontrol target device 200A has the function of processing data receivedthrough the first communication path and the second control targetdevice 200B does not have the function of processing data receivedthrough the first communication path. Thus, the information processingdevice 100 decides the first control target device 200A as thetransmission target control target device in Step S204.

When the transmission target control target device is decided in StepS104, the information processing device 100 causes the connectioninformation B of the second control target device 200B (connectioninformation of the other control target device) to be transmitted to thefirst control target device 200A that is the transmission target controltarget device through the first communication path (S206).

Here, when the connection information can be transmitted through thefirst communication path on which the capability information A has beenacquired in Step S200, the information processing device 100 causes theconnection information to be transmitted through the first communicationpath on which the capability information A has been acquired. However,when the first communication path is a communication path formed basedon NFC, the communication through the first communication path on whichthe capability information A has been acquired is terminated in manycases in the stage in which the process of Step S202 is performed inconsideration of the communicable distance. Thus, when the connectioninformation can be transmitted through the first communication path onwhich the capability information A has been acquired in Step S200, theinformation processing device 100 performs communication with the firstcontrol target device 200A through the first communication path againand then causes the connection information B to be transmitted throughthe first communication path that has been formed again. When performingthe communication with the first control target device 200A againthrough the first communication path, the information processing device100 notifies the user of, for example, a start notification for startingthe communication through the first communication path.

Here, in FIG. 3, since the first control target device 200A has thefunction of processing data received through the first communicationpath, the first control target device 200A can receive the connectioninformation B transmitted in Step S206 and process the receivedconnection information B. Thus, the first control target device 200Athat has received the connection information B transmitted in Step S206starts communication with the second control target device 200B throughthe second communication path using the received connection informationB of the second control target device 200B (S208). In the example shownin FIG. 3, the first control target device 200A performs communicationwith the second control target device 200B using a communicationinterface that responds to IEEE 802.15.1.

When the first control target device 200A has the function of processingdata received through the first communication path and the secondcontrol target device 200B does not have the function of processing datareceived through the first communication path, for example, the processshown in FIG. 3 is performed in the information processing systemaccording to the present embodiment, and thereby communication betweenthe first control target device 200A and the second control targetdevice 200B is performed through the second communication path. Thus, byperforming, for example, the process shown in FIG. 3, the informationprocessing device 100 can control the communication between the controltarget devices.

When the combination of presence or absence of the process capabilitiesof the first control target device and the second control target devicewith respect to data received through the first communication path isthe first combination, the information processing device according tothe present embodiment performs, for example the process relating to thefirst example shown in FIG. 2 or the process relating to the secondexample shown in FIG. 3. Note that the process of the informationprocessing device according to the present embodiment performed when thecombination of presence or absence of the process capabilities of thefirst control target device and the second control target device withrespect to data received through the first communication path is thefirst combination is not limited to the process relating to the firstexample or the process relating to the second example described above.

FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process performedin the information processing system according to the presentembodiment. FIG. 4 shows an example of the process performed in theinformation processing system according to the present embodiment whenthe combination of presence or absence of the process capabilities ofthe first control target device and the second control target devicewith respect to data received through the first communication path isthe first combination. In addition, FIG. 4 shows an example of theprocess when the information processing system according to the presentembodiment is configured as shown in FIG. 2. Note that, in FIG. 4,communication performed between the information processing device 100and the NFC tag affixed to the first control target device 200A throughthe first communication path is expressed as communication performedbetween the information processing device 100 and the first controltarget device 200A through the first communication path.

The information processing device 100 and the NFC tag affixed to thefirst control target device 200A perform a connection process forperforming communication through the first communication path (S300).Here, the connection process for performing the communication throughthe first communication path according to the present embodimentcorresponds to a process relating to communication that relates toestablishment of a session of the first communication path according tothe present embodiment. As the connection process for performing thecommunication through the first communication path according to thepresent embodiment, for example, a process in which one device thatplays the role of a reader-writer performs polling and the other deviceresponds to the polling or the like is exemplified. By receiving aresponse to the polling, the one device that plays the role of areader-writer recognizes that there is a device that can communicatethrough the first communication path. In Step S300, the informationprocessing device 100 plays the role of a reader-writer.

When the process of Step S300 is performed, the information processingdevice 100 transmits a capability information transmission requestincluding a transmission command for causing capability information tobe transmitted through the first communication path (S302). Here, theinformation processing device 100 transmits the capability informationtransmission request by performing ASK (Amplitude Shift Keying).

The NFC tag affixed to the first control target device 200A that hasreceived the capability information transmission request transmitted inStep S302 transmits the stored capability information A of the firstcontrol target device 200A through the first communication path inresponse to the capability information transmission request (S304). TheNFC tag affixed to the first control target device 200A transmits thecapability information A by, for example, performing load modulation.

The information processing device 100 that has received the capabilityinformation A transmitted from the NFC tag affixed to the first controltarget device 200A in Step S304 notifies a user of a start notificationfor starting communication with the second control target device 200Bthrough the first communication path (S306). Here, the informationprocessing device 100 notifies the user of the start notification bydisplaying, for example, a guide screen indicating that a touchoperation is to be performed on the second control target device 200B onthe display screen, causing an audio output device (which is provided inthe device or outside) to output a guide sound indicating that a touchoperation is to be performed on the second control target device 200B.

When the process of Step S306 is performed, the information processingdevice 100 and the second control target device 200B perform aconnection process for performing communication through the firstcommunication path (S308). In Step S308, the information processingdevice 100 plays the role of a reader-writer, and thus the informationprocessing device 100 starts polling after, for example, the process ofStep S306 is performed.

When the process of Step S308 is performed, the information processingdevice 100 transmits a capability information transmission requestthrough the first communication path as in Step S302 (S310).

The second control target device 200B that has received the capabilityinformation transmission request transmitted in Step S310 transmits thestored capability information B of the second control target device 200Bthrough the first communication path in response to the capabilityinformation transmission request as in Step S304 (S312).

Here, the second control target device 200B performing communicationwith the information processing device 100 through the firstcommunication path may perform, for example, activation of acommunication interface and reservation of a communication channel forforming the second communication path such as a communication interfacethat responds to IEEE 802.15.1. As described above, as the controltarget device according to the present embodiment performingcommunication with the information processing device 100 through thefirst communication path performs activation of a communicationinterface and reservation of a communication channel for forming thesecond communication path, communication between control devices throughthe second communication path can be performed more smoothly in theinformation processing system according to the present embodiment.

In addition, when the communication through the second communicationpath based on a set predetermined time and the reserved communicationchannel is not established in the case in which activation of acommunication interface and reservation of a communication channel forforming the second communication path is performed, the second controltarget device 200B may perform, for example, cancellation of thecommunication channel and deactivation of the communication interface.Here, the predetermined time may be set in advance, or may be set (orreset) based on a user operation or the like. As described above, as thecontrol target device according to the present embodiment performingcommunication with the information processing device 100 through thefirst communication path performs deactivation of the communicationinterface and cancellation of the communication channel for forming thesecond communication path, the control target device according to thepresent embodiment can achieve a reduction in power consumption andefficient use of communication resources.

In addition, when a new capability information transmission request isreceived in the case in which the activation of the communicationinterface and reservation of the communication channel for forming thesecond communication path are performed, the second control targetdevice 200B may perform, for example, cancellation of the communicationchannel and deactivation of the communication interface. When the newcapability information transmission request is received, the secondcontrol target device 200B transmits the capability information B of thesecond control target device 200B based on the capability informationtransmission request. As described above, as the control target deviceaccording to the present embodiment performing communication with theinformation processing device 100 through the first communication pathperforms deactivation of the communication interface and cancellation ofthe communication channel for forming the second communication path andtransmission of the capability information B of the second controltarget device 200B based on the newly received capability informationtransmission request, an information processing system in which thecontrol target devices perform smooth communication is realized.

The control target device according to the present embodiment performingcommunication with the information processing device 100 through thefirst communication path can perform, for example, the process describedabove (the same applies hereinafter).

The information processing device 100 that has received the capabilityinformation B from the second control target device 200B in Step S312decides a transmission target control target device based on thecapability information A received in Step S304 and the capabilityinformation B received in Step S312 (S314). Here, FIG. 4 shows anexample of the process in the case of the configuration shown in FIG. 2,in which the first control target device 200A does not have the functionof processing data received through the first communication path and thesecond control target device 200B has the function of processing datareceived through the first communication path. Thus, the informationprocessing device 100 decides the second control target device 200B asthe transmission target control target device in Step S314.

When the transmission target control target device is decided in StepS314, the information processing device 100 transmits the connectioninformation A of the first control target device 200A to the secondcontrol target device 200B which is the transmission target controltarget device (S316). When the communication through the firstcommunication path connected in Step S308 is possible, the informationprocessing device 100 transmits the connection information A in thecommunication that is performed through the first communication path onwhich the capability information B has been received.

Note that the information processing device 100 may performcommunication with the second control target device 200B again throughthe first communication path by performing, for example, the sameprocess as Step S308 again to transmit the connection information A tothe second control target device 200B through the first communicationpath that is formed again. In addition, when the communication isperformed with the second control target device 200B again through thefirst communication path, the information processing device 100 notifiesthe user of, for example, a start notification for starting thecommunication through the first communication path as in Step S306.

The second control target device 200B transmits a response signalaccording to the reception result of the connection information Atransmitted in Step S316 (S318).

The information processing device 100 that has received the responsesignal transmitted from the second control target device 200B in StepS318 gives a notification to the user based on the response signal(S320). As the notification based on the response signal, for example, acompletion notification indicating that the transmission of theconnection information A has been correctly performed (when the responsesignal indicates that the connection information A has been correctlyreceived), or an error notification indicating that the transmission ofthe connection information A has not been correctly performed (when theresponse signal indicates that the connection information A has not beencorrectly received) is exemplified. By displaying, for example, thecompletion screen or the error screen on the display screen, theinformation processing device 100 gives the notification based on theresponse signal. In addition, when the response signal indicates thatthe connection information A has not been correctly received, theinformation processing device 100 may give a notification for guidingthe user by displaying a guide screen on the display screen indicatingthat a touch operation should be performed again on the second controltarget device 200B, or outputting a guide sound indicating that thetouch operation should be performed.

The second control target device 200B that has received the connectioninformation A transmitted in Step S316 starts communication with thefirst control target device 200A through the second communication pathusing the connection information A of the first control target device200A (S322).

By performing, for example, the process shown in FIG. 4 in theinformation processing system according to the present embodiment, thefirst control target device 200A and the second control target device200B perform communication with each other through the secondcommunication path. Here, in FIG. 4, the process of Step S314corresponds to the process (1) (decision process) described above, andthe process of Step S316 corresponds to the process (2) (transmissioncontrol process) described above. Thus, by performing, for example, theprocess shown in FIG. 4, the information processing device 100 cancontrol communication between the control target devices.

Note that a process performed in the information processing systemaccording to the present embodiment is not limited to the process shownin FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows, for example, an example of the process in thecase in which the information processing system according to the presentembodiment has the configuration shown in FIG. 2, however, when theinformation processing system according to the present embodiment hasthe configuration shown in FIG. 3, the information processing device 100decides the first control target device 200A as a transmission targetcontrol target device, and transmits the connection information B of thesecond control target device 200B to the first control target device200A. In addition, in such a case, the first control target device 200Astarts communication with the second control target device 200B throughthe second communication path using the connection information B of thesecond control target device 200B.

In addition, in the above description, the example in which theinformation processing device 100 performs the process relating to theinformation processing method according to the present embodiment in theinformation processing system according to the present embodiment hasbeen shown, however, a configuration of the information processingsystem according to the present embodiment is not limited to the above.For example, in the information processing system according to thepresent embodiment, a control target device according to the presentembodiment (the first control target device according to the presentembodiment and/or the second control target device according to thepresent embodiment) can also perform the process relating to theinformation processing method according to the present embodiment. Whenthe control target device according to the present embodiment performsthe process relating to the information processing method according tothe present embodiment, the control target device according to thepresent embodiment determines whether or not the information processingdevice has the function of performing the process relating to theinformation processing method according to the present embodiment in,for example, communication with the information processing deviceconstituting the information processing system according to the presentembodiment through the first communication path. Then, when theinformation processing device constituting the information processingsystem according to the present embodiment is not determined to have thefunction of performing the process relating to the informationprocessing method according to the present embodiment, the controltarget device according to the present embodiment decides a direction inwhich connection information is moved, a communication scheme, the typeof information, and the like in, for example, a specific format recordedin the information processing device constituting the informationprocessing system according to the present embodiment.

(B) Process Relating to the Information Processing Method According tothe Present Embodiment in the Second Combination

Next, as another example of the process relating to the informationprocessing method according to the present embodiment, an example of theprocess relating to the information processing method according to thepresent embodiment in the second combination will be described.

(B-1) Third Example of the Process Relating to the InformationProcessing Method According to the Present Embodiment

FIG. 5 is an illustrative diagram for describing a third example of theprocess relating to the information processing method according to thepresent embodiment showing an example of a process performed in theinformation processing system according to the present embodiment whichhas the information processing device 100, the first control targetdevice 200A, and the second control target device 200B. In addition,FIG. 5 shows an example of the process when the combination of presenceor absence of the process capabilities of the first control targetdevice and the second control target device with respect to datareceived through the first communication path is the second combination.To be specific, FIG. 5 shows an example in which the first controltarget device 200A has the function of processing data received throughthe first communication path and the second control target device 200Balso has the function of processing data received through the firstcommunication path.

Here, in the information processing system shown in FIG. 5, each of theinformation processing device 100, the first control target device 200A,and the second control target device 200B is assumed to have thefunction of an initiator in NFC and the function of a target in NFC, andfurther to respond to an inter-device communication protocol. Inaddition, in the information processing system shown in FIG. 5, thefirst control target device 200A and the second control target device200B are assumed to have communication interfaces which respond to aplurality of communication schemes, for example, IEEE 802.15.1, IEEE802.11b, and the like.

In addition, in FIG. 5, the process of Step S404 corresponds to theprocess (1) (decision process) described above and the process of StepS406 corresponds to the process (2) (transmission control process)described above.

The information processing device 100 performs communication with thefirst control target device 200A through the first communication path,thereby acquiring the capability information A of the first controltarget device 200A (S400). The communication with the first controltarget device 200A through the first communication path is performed asthe information processing device 100 or the first control target device200A plays the role of a reader-writer.

The information processing device 100 performs communication with thesecond control target device 200B through the first communication path,thereby acquiring capability information B of the second control targetdevice 200B (S402). The communication with the second control targetdevice 200B through the first communication path is performed as, forexample, the information processing device 100 or the second controltarget device 200B plays the role as a reader-writer.

When the capability information A of the first control target device200A is acquired in Step S400 and the capability information B of thesecond control target device 200B is acquired in Step S402, theinformation processing device 100 decides a transmission target controltarget device based on the capability information A and the capabilityinformation B (S404). Here, in the example shown in FIG. 5, both of thefirst control target device 200A and the second control target device200B have the function of processing data received through the firstcommunication path. In Step S404, the information processing device 100decides the second control target device 200B between the first controltarget device 200A and the second control target device 200B as atransmission target control target device, which is a control targetdevice that corresponds to the capability information that, for example,has been acquired later.

Note that the process of Step S404 is not limited to the process ofdeciding, as a transmission target control target device, a controltarget device between the first control target device 200A and thesecond control target device 200B, which corresponds to the capabilityinformation that has been acquired later. For example, the informationprocessing device 100 may decide a transmission target control targetdevice in Step S404 based on connection information included in thecapability information of the first control target device 200A andconnection information included in the capability information of thesecond control target device 200B. Hereinbelow, an example of theprocess relating to the information processing method according to thepresent embodiment will be described exemplifying the case in which thesecond control target device 200B is decided as a transmission targetcontrol target device in the process of Step S404 that corresponds tothe process (1) (decision process) described above. Note that the casein which the first control target device 200A is decided as atransmission target control target device in the process (1) (decisionprocess) described above in the second combination will be describedlater.

When the transmission target control target device is decided in StepS404, the information processing device 100 causes the connectioninformation A of the first control target device 200A (connectioninformation of the other control target device) to be transmitted to thesecond control target device 200B that is the transmission targetcontrol target device through the first communication path (S406) as inStep S106 shown in FIG. 2.

Here, in the example shown in FIG. 5, the first control target device200A and the second control target device 200B have a plurality ofcommunication interfaces that respond to communication schemes that canform the second communication path. The information processing device100 compares, for example, communication schemes indicated by theconnection information included in the capability information of thefirst control target device 200A and communication schemes indicated bythe connection information included in the capability information of thesecond control target device 200B, and then decides the communicationscheme that both of the control target devices respond to as thecommunication scheme for the second communication path. In addition,when there are a plurality of communication schemes that both of thecontrol target devices respond to, the information processing device 100decides a communication scheme having, for example, a higher priority asthe communication scheme for the second communication path according toset priorities. Then, the information processing device 100 causes theconnection information A that responds to the decided communicationscheme to be transmitted through the first communication path.

In FIG. 2, since the second control target device 200B has the functionof processing data received through the first communication path, thesecond control target device 200B can receive the connection informationA transmitted in Step S406 and process the received connectioninformation A. Thus, the second control target device 200B that hasreceived the connection information A transmitted in Step S406 startscommunication with the first control target device 200A through thesecond communication path using the received connection information A ofthe first control target device 200A (S408). In the example shown inFIG. 5, the second control target device 200B performs communicationwith the first control target device 200A using a communicationinterface that responds to a communication scheme indicated by theconnection information A.

When both of the first control target device 200A and the second controltarget device 200B have the function of processing data received throughthe first communication path, for example, the process shown in FIG. 5is performed in the information processing system according to thepresent embodiment, and thereby communication between the first controltarget device 200A and the second control target device 200B isperformed through the second communication path. Thus, by performing,for example, the process shown in FIG. 5, the information processingdevice 100 can control the communication between the control targetdevices.

(B-2) Fourth Example of the Process Relating to the InformationProcessing Method According to the Present Embodiment

FIG. 6 is an illustrative diagram for describing a fourth example of theprocess relating to the information processing method according to thepresent embodiment showing an example of a process performed in theinformation processing system according to the present embodiment whichhas the information processing device 100, the first control targetdevice 200A, and the second control target device 200B. In addition,FIG. 6 shows another example of the process when the combination ofpresence or absence of the process capabilities of the first controltarget device and the second control target device with respect to datareceived through the first communication path is the second combination.To be specific, FIG. 6 shows an example in which the first controltarget device 200A has the function of processing data received throughthe first communication path and the second control target device 200Balso has the function of processing data received through the firstcommunication path.

Here, in the information processing system shown in FIG. 6, each of theinformation processing device 100, the first control target device 200A,and the second control target device 200B is assumed to have thefunction of an initiator in NFC and the function of a target in NFC, andfurther to respond to the inter-device communication protocol. Inaddition, in the information processing system shown in FIG. 6, thefirst control target device 200A is assumed to have, for example, acommunication interface that responds to IEEE 802.15.1 and acommunication interface that responds to IEEE 802.11b, and the secondcontrol target device 200B is assumed to have, for example, acommunication interface that responds to IEEE 802.15.1.

In addition, in FIG. 6, the process of Step S504 corresponds to theprocess (1) (decision process) described above and the process of StepS506 corresponds to the process (2) (transmission control process)described above.

The information processing device 100 performs communication with thefirst control target device 200A through the first communication path,thereby acquiring the capability information A of the first controltarget device 200A (S500) as in Step S400 shown in FIG. 5.

In addition, the information processing device 100 performscommunication with the second control target device 200B through thefirst communication path, thereby acquiring the capability information Bof the second control target device 200B (S502) as in Step S402 shown inFIG. 5.

When the capability information A of the first control target device200A is acquired in Step S500 and the capability information B of thesecond control target device 200B is acquired in Step S502, theinformation processing device 100 decides a transmission target controltarget device based on the capability information A and the capabilityinformation B (S504). Here, in the example shown in FIG. 6, both of thefirst control target device 200A and the second control target device200B have the function of processing data received through the firstcommunication path. The information processing device 100 decides thetransmission target control target device based on, for example,connection information included in the capability information of thefirst control target device 200A and connection information included inthe capability information of the second control target device 200B inStep S504.

Here, a specific example of a decision process of the transmissiontarget control target device based on the capability information in StepS504 will be exemplified. With the capability information A of the firstcontrol target device 200A, the information processing device 100 canspecify the fact that the first control target device 200A has thecommunication interface that responds to IEEE 802.15.1 and thecommunication interface that responds to IEEE 802.11b. In addition, withcapability information B of the second control target device 200B, theinformation processing device 100 can specify the fact that the secondcontrol target device 200B has the communication interface that respondsto IEEE 802.15.1.

In addition, the information processing device 100 can find anactivation state of the communication interface that each of the controltarget devices has using, for example, the connection information (to bespecific, for example, the status information shown in B1 of FIG. 1)included in each piece of the capability information. In the example ofFIG. 6, both of the communication interface responding to IEEE 802.15.1and the communication interface responding to IEEE 802.11b which areincluded in the first control target device 200A are set to be in a haltstate, and the communication interface responding to IEEE 802.15.1 whichis included in the second control target device 200B is set to be in theactivated state.

By specifying the state using the acquired capability information A andcapability information B, the information processing device 100 decidesIEEE 802.15.1 that both of the first control target device 200A and thesecond control target device 200B respond to as the communication schemefor forming the second communication path. In addition, the informationprocessing device 100 determines that it is necessary to cause thecommunication interface that responds to IEEE 802.15.1 included in thefirst control target device 200A to be in the activated state in orderto cause the first control target device 200A and the second controltarget device 200B to communicate with each other through the secondcommunication path formed with IEEE 802.15.1.

By performing the decision and the like as described above, theinformation processing device 100 decides the first control targetdevice 200A as a transmission target control target device in Step S504.

When the transmission target control target device is decided in StepS504, the information processing device 100 causes the connectioninformation B of the second control target device 200B (connectioninformation of the other control target device) to be transmitted to thefirst control target device 200A that is the transmission target controltarget device through the first communication path (S506) as in StepS206 shown in FIG. 3.

In FIG. 6, since the first control target device 200A has the functionof processing data received through the first communication path, thefirst control target device 200A can receive the connection informationB transmitted in Step S506 and process the received connectioninformation B. Thus, the first control target device 200A that hasreceived the connection information B transmitted in Step S506 startscommunication with the first control target device 200A through thesecond communication path using the received connection information B ofthe second control target device 200B (S508). In the example shown inFIG. 6, the second control target device 200B performs communicationwith the first control target device 200A using the communicationinterface that corresponds to IEEE 802.15.1.

When both of the first control target device 200A and the second controltarget device 200B have the function of processing data received throughthe first communication path, for example, the process shown in FIG. 6is performed in the information processing system according to thepresent embodiment, and thereby communication between the first controltarget device 200A and the second control target device 200B isperformed through the second communication path. Thus, by performing,for example, the process shown in FIG. 6, the information processingdevice 100 can control the communication between the control targetdevices.

When the combination of presence or absence of the process capabilitiesof the first control target device and the second control target devicewith respect to data received through the first communication path isthe second combination, the information processing device according tothe present embodiment performs, for example the process relating to thethird example shown in FIG. 5 or the process relating to the fourthexample shown in FIG. 6. Note that the process of the informationprocessing device according to the present embodiment performed when thecombination of presence or absence of the process capabilities of thefirst control target device and the second control target device withrespect to data received through the first communication path is thesecond combination is not limited to the process relating to the thirdexample or the process relating to the fourth example described above.

FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process performedin the information processing system according to the presentembodiment. FIG. 7 shows the example of the process performed in theinformation processing system according to the present embodiment whenthe combination of presence or absence of the process capabilities ofthe first control target device and the second control target devicewith respect to data received through the first communication path isthe second combination. In addition, FIG. 7 shows the example of theprocess when the information processing system according to the presentembodiment has the configuration shown in FIG. 6.

The information processing device 100 and the first control targetdevice 200A perform a connection process for performing communicationthrough the first communication path (S600). In Step S600, theinformation processing device 100 or the first control target device200A plays the role of a reader-writer.

When the process of Step S600 is performed, the information processingdevice 100 transmits a capability information transmission request thatincludes a transmission command for causing capability information to betransmitted through the first communication path (S602) as in Step S302shown in FIG. 4.

The first control target device 200A that has received the capabilityinformation transmission request transmitted in Step S602 transmits thestored capability information A of the first control target device 200Abased on the capability information transmission request through thefirst communication path (S604) as in Step S304 shown in FIG. 4.

The information processing device 100 that has received the capabilityinformation A transmitted from the first control target device 200A inStep S604 notifies a user of a start notification for startingcommunication with the second control target device 200B through thefirst communication path (S606) as in Step S306 shown in FIG. 4.

When the process of Step S606 is performed, the information processingdevice 100 and the second control target device 200B perform aconnection process for performing communication through the firstcommunication path (S608) as in Step S308 shown in FIG. 4.

When the process of Step S608 is performed, the information processingdevice 100 transmits a capability information transmission requestthrough the first communication path (S610) as in Step S310 shown inFIG. 4.

The second control target device 200B that has received the capabilityinformation transmission request transmitted in Step S610 transmits thestored capability information B of the second control target device 200Bbased on the capability information transmission request through thefirst communication path (S612) as in Step S312 shown in FIG. 4.

The information processing device 100 that has received the capabilityinformation B transmitted from the second control target device 200B inStep S612 decides a transmission target control target device based onthe capability information A received in Step S604 and the capabilityinformation B received in Step S612 (S614).

Here, since FIG. 7 is the example of the process in the case of theconfiguration shown in FIG. 6, both of the first control target device200A and the second control target device 200B have the function ofprocessing data received through the first communication path. Theinformation processing device 100 decides the transmission targetcontrol target device in Step S614 based on, for example, connectioninformation included in the capability information of the first controltarget device 200A and connection information included in the capabilityinformation of the second control target device 200B.

Hereinbelow, an example of the process relating to the informationprocessing method according to the present embodiment will be describedexemplifying the case in which the first control target device 200A isdecided as the transmission target control target device in the processof Step S614. Note that, when the second control target device 200B isdecided as the transmission target control target device in the processof Step S614, the information processing device 100 performs, forexample, the processes from Step S316 shown in FIG. 4, rather than theprocesses from Step S616 to be described below.

When the transmission target control target device is decided in StepS614, the information processing device 100 notifies the user of a startnotification for starting communication with the first control targetdevice 200A through the first communication path (S616). Here, theinformation processing device 100 notifies the user of the startnotification by, for example, displaying a guide screen that guides atouch operation to be performed on the first control target device 200Aon the display screen, outputting a guide sound that guides a touchoperation to be performed on the first control target device 200A to anaudio output device (provided in the device or outside), or the like.

In addition, the information processing device 100 and the first controltarget device 200A perform the connection process for performingcommunication through the first communication path (S618) as in StepS600.

When the process of Step S618 is performed, the information processingdevice 100 transmits the connection information B of the second controltarget device 200B to the first control target device 200A that is thetransmission target control target device through the firstcommunication path (S620).

The first control target device 200A transmits a response signalaccording to the reception result of the connection information Btransmitted in Step S620 through the first communication path (S622).

The information processing device 100 that has received the responsesignal transmitted from the first control target device 200A in StepS622 gives a notification to the user based on the response signal(S624) as in Step S320 shown in FIG. 4.

The first control target device 200A that has received the connectioninformation B transmitted in Step S620 starts communication with thesecond control target device 200B through the second communication pathusing the connection information B of the second control target device200B (S626).

By performing, for example, the process shown in FIG. 7 in theinformation processing system according to the present embodiment, thefirst control target device 200A and the second control target device200B perform communication with each other through the secondcommunication path. Here, in FIG. 7, the process of Step S614corresponds to the process (1) (decision process) described above, andthe process of Step S620 corresponds to the process (2) (transmissioncontrol process) described above. Thus, by performing, for example, theprocess shown in FIG. 7, the information processing device 100 cancontrol communication between the control target devices.

Note that a process performed in the information processing systemaccording to the present embodiment is not limited to the process shownin FIG. 7. For example, the information processing device 100 may set acontrol target device between the first control target device 200A andthe second control target device 200B which corresponds to thecapability information that is acquired later to be a transmissiontarget control target device in Step S614. When the transmission targetcontrol target device is decided as described above, the informationprocessing device 100 decides the second control target device 200B thatis a control target device that corresponds to the capabilityinformation that has been acquired later between the first controltarget device 200A and the second control target device 200B as thetransmission target control target device.

In addition, in the above description, the example in which theinformation processing device 100 performs the process relating to theinformation processing method according to the present embodiment in theinformation processing system according to the present embodiment hasbeen shown, however, a configuration of the information processingsystem according to the present embodiment is not limited thereto. Forexample, the control target device according to the present embodiment(the first control target device according to the present embodimentand/or the second control target device according to the presentembodiment) can perform the process relating to the informationprocessing method according to the present embodiment in the informationprocessing system according to the present embodiment as describedabove.

(C) Process Relating to the Information Processing Method According tothe Present Embodiment in the Third Combination

Next, as another example of the process relating to the informationprocessing method according to the present embodiment, an example of theprocess relating to the information processing method according to thepresent embodiment in the third combination will be described.

(C-1) Fifth Example of the Process Relating to the InformationProcessing Method According to the Present Embodiment

FIG. 8 is an illustrative diagram for describing a fifth example of theprocess relating to the information processing method according to thepresent embodiment showing an example of a process performed in theinformation processing system according to the present embodiment whichhas the information processing device 100, the first control targetdevice 200A, and the second control target device 200B. In addition,FIG. 8 shows an example of the process when the combination of presenceor absence of the process capabilities of the first control targetdevice and the second control target device with respect to datareceived through the first communication path is the third combination.To be specific, FIG. 8 shows an example in which the first controltarget device 200A does not have the function of processing datareceived through the first communication path and the second controltarget device 200B does not have the function of processing datareceived through the first communication path either.

Here, the information processing system shown in FIG. 8 is set such thatthe information processing device 100 has the function of an initiatorin NFC and the function of a target in NFC. In addition, the informationprocessing system shown in FIG. 8 is set such that an NFC tag thatstores the capability information of the first control target device200A is affixed to the first control target device 200A, and another NFCtag that stores the capability information of the second control targetdevice 200B is affixed to the second control target device 200B.Furthermore, the information processing system shown in FIG. 8 is setsuch that the first control target device 200A and the second controltarget device 200B each have the communication interfaces that respondto IEEE 802.15.1.

In addition, in FIG. 8, the process of Step S704 corresponds to theprocess (1) (decision process) described above and the process of StepS708 corresponds to the process (2) (transmission control process)described above.

The information processing device 100 performs communication with theNFC tag affixed to the first control target device 200A through thefirst communication path, thereby acquiring the capability informationof the first control target device 200A (S700) as in Step S100 shown inFIG. 2.

In addition, the information processing device 100 performscommunication with the NFC tag affixed to the second control targetdevice 200B through the first communication path, thereby acquiring thecapability information B of the second control target device 200B(S702). The communication with the NFC tag affixed to the second controltarget device 200B through the first communication path is performed as,for example, the information processing device 100 plays the role of areader-writer.

When the capability information A of the first control target device200A is acquired in Step S700 and the capability information B of thesecond control target device 200B is acquired in Step S702, theinformation processing device 100 decides a transmission target controltarget device based on the capability information A and the capabilityinformation B (S704). Here, in the example shown in FIG. 8, neither thefirst control target device 200A nor the second control target device200B has the function of processing data received through the firstcommunication path. Thus, the information processing device 100 decidesthe transmission target control target device based on, for example, anorder of acquiring the capability information, set priorities, or a useroperation in Step S704.

Hereinbelow, an example of the process relating to the informationprocessing method according to the present embodiment will be describedexemplifying the case in which the second control target device 200B isdecided as the transmission target control target device in the processof Step S704 that corresponds to the process (1) (decision process)described above. Note that an example of the case in which the firstcontrol target device 200A is decided as the transmission target controltarget device in the process (1) (decision process) described above inthe third combination will be described later.

When the transmission target control target device is decided in StepS704, the information processing device 100 starts communication withthe second control target device 200B that is the transmission targetcontrol target device through the third communication path (S706). Here,the information processing device according to the present embodimentperforms the communication with the second control target device 200Busing connection information included in the capability information ofthe second control target device 200B that has been acquired in StepS702. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the second control target device200B has the communication interface that responds to IEEE 802.15.1.Thus, the information processing device 100 decides IEEE 802.15.1indicated by the connection information included in the capabilityinformation of the second control target device 200B as thecommunication scheme for forming the third communication path, and thenstarts the communication based on IEEE 802.15.1 with the second controltarget device 200B using the connection information.

Note that there may be cases in which the information processing device100 and the second control target device 200B (an example of thetransmission target control target device) have difficulty performingcommunication, for example, when the information processing device 100does not have the communication interface that responds to IEEE 802.15.1(an example of a communication interface that enables communication witha transmission target control target device). In such a case, theinformation processing device 100 notifies a user of an error, forexample, indicating that the first control target device 200A and thesecond control target device 200B have difficulty performingcommunication.

When the communication with the second control target device 200B thatis the transmission target control target device is started through thethird communication path in Step S706, the information processing device100 causes the connection information A of the first control targetdevice 200A (connection information of the other control target device)to be transmitted to the second control target device 200B that is thetransmission target control target device through the thirdcommunication path (S708).

Here, in FIG. 8, since the second control target device 200B has thefunction of processing data received through the third communicationpath, the second control target device 200B can receive the connectioninformation A transmitted in Step S708 and process the receivedconnection information A. Thus, the second control target device 200Bthat has received the connection information A transmitted in Step S708starts communication with the first control target device 200A throughthe second communication path using the received connection informationA of the first control target device 200A (S710). In the example shownin FIG. 8, the second control target device 200B performs communicationwith the first control target device 200A using a communicationinterface that responds to IEEE 802.15.1.

When neither the first control target device 200A nor the second controltarget device 200B does not have the function of processing datareceived through the first communication path, for example, the processshown in FIG. 8 is performed in the information processing systemaccording to the present embodiment, and thereby communication betweenthe first control target device 200A and the second control targetdevice 200B is performed through the second communication path. Thus, byperforming, for example, the process shown in FIG. 8, the informationprocessing device 100 can control the communication between the controltarget devices.

(C-2) Sixth Example of the Process Relating to the InformationProcessing Method According to the Present Embodiment

FIG. 9 is an illustrative diagram for describing a second example of theprocess relating to the information processing method according to thepresent embodiment, showing an example of a process performed in theinformation processing system according to the present embodiment whichhas the information processing device 100, the first control targetdevice 200A, and the second control target device 200B. In addition,FIG. 9 shows an example of the process when the combination of presenceor absence of the process capabilities of the first control targetdevice and the second control target device with respect to datareceived through the first communication path is the third combination.To be specific, FIG. 9 shows an example in which the first controltarget device 200A does not have the function of processing datareceived through the first communication path and the second controltarget device 200B does not have the function of processing datareceived through the first communication path either.

Here, the information processing system shown in FIG. 9 is set such thatthe information processing device 100 has the function of an initiatorin NFC and the function of a target in NFC. In addition, the informationprocessing system shown in FIG. 9 is set such that an NFC tag thatstores the capability information of the first control target device200A is affixed to the first control target device 200A, and another NFCtag that stores the capability information of the second control targetdevice 200B is affixed to the second control target device 200B.Furthermore, the information processing system shown in FIG. 9 is setsuch that the first control target device 200A and the second controltarget device 200B each have the communication interfaces that respondto IEEE 802.15.1.

In addition, in FIG. 9, the process of Step S804 corresponds to theprocess (1) (decision process) described above and the process of StepS808 corresponds to the process (2) (transmission control process)described above.

The information processing device 100 performs communication with theNFC tag affixed to the first control target device 200A through thefirst communication path, thereby acquiring the capability informationof the first control target device 200A (S800) as in Step S100 shown inFIG. 2.

In addition, the information processing device 100 performscommunication with the NFC tag affixed to the second control targetdevice 200B through the first communication path, thereby acquiring thecapability information B of the second control target device 200B (S802)as in Step S702 shown in FIG. 8.

When the capability information A of the first control target device200A is acquired in Step S800 and the capability information B of thesecond control target device 200B is acquired in Step S802, theinformation processing device 100 decides a transmission target controltarget device based on the capability information A and the capabilityinformation B (S804) as in Step S704 shown in FIG. 8. Hereinbelow, anexample of the process relating to the information processing methodaccording to the present embodiment will be described exemplifying thecase in which the first control target device 200A is decided as thetransmission target control target device in the process of Step S804that corresponds to the process (1) (decision process) described above.

When the transmission target control target device is decided in StepS804, the information processing device 100 starts communication withthe first control target device 200A that is the transmission targetcontrol target device through the third communication path (S806) as inStep S706 shown in FIG. 8.

When the communication with the first control target device 200A that isthe transmission target control target device is started through thethird communication path in Step S806, the information processing device100 causes the connection information B of the second control targetdevice 200B (connection information of the other control target device)to be transmitted to the first control target device 200A that is thetransmission target control target device through the thirdcommunication path (S808).

Here, in FIG. 9, since the first control target device 200A has thefunction of processing data received through the third communicationpath, the first control target device 200A can receive the connectioninformation B transmitted in Step S808 and process the receivedconnection information B. Thus, the first control target device 200Athat has received the connection information B transmitted in Step S808starts communication with the first control target device 200A throughthe second communication path using the received connection informationB of the second control target device 200B (S810). In the example shownin FIG. 9, the second control target device 200B performs communicationwith the first control target device 200A using the communicationinterface that corresponds to IEEE 802.15.1.

When neither the first control target device 200A nor the second controltarget device 200B does not have the function of processing datareceived through the first communication path, for example, the processshown in FIG. 9 is performed in the information processing systemaccording to the present embodiment, and thereby communication betweenthe first control target device 200A and the second control targetdevice 200B is performed through the second communication path. Thus, byperforming, for example, the process shown in FIG. 9, the informationprocessing device 100 can control the communication between the controltarget devices.

When the combination of presence or absence of the process capabilitiesof the first control target device and the second control target devicewith respect to data received through the first communication path isthe third combination, the information processing device according tothe present embodiment performs, for example the process relating to thefifth example shown in FIG. 8 or the process relating to the sixthexample shown in FIG. 9. Note that the process of the informationprocessing device according to the present embodiment performed when thecombination of presence or absence of the process capabilities of thefirst control target device and the second control target device withrespect to data received through the first communication path is thethird combination is not limited to the process relating to the fifthexample or the process relating to the sixth example described above.

FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processperformed in the information processing system according to the presentembodiment. FIG. 10 shows the example of the process performed in theinformation processing system according to the present embodiment whenthe combination of presence or absence of the process capabilities ofthe first control target device and the second control target devicewith respect to data received through the first communication path isthe third combination. In addition, FIG. 10 shows the example of theprocess when the information processing system has the configurationshown in FIG. 9.

Note that, in FIG. 10, the communication performed between theinformation processing device 100 and the NFC tag affixed to the firstcontrol target device 200A through the first communication path isexpressed as communication between the information processing device 100and the first control target device 200A through the first communicationpath for the sake of convenience of description. In addition, in FIG.10, the communication performed between the information processingdevice 100 and the NFC tag affixed to the second control target device200B through the first communication path is expressed as communicationbetween the information processing device 100 and the second controltarget device 200B through the first communication path for the sake ofconvenience of description.

The information processing device 100 and the NFC tag affixed to thefirst control target device 200A perform a connection process forperforming communication through the first communication path (S900) asin Step S300 shown in FIG. 4.

When the process of Step S900 is performed, the information processingdevice 100 transmits a capability information transmission request thatincludes a transmission command for causing capability information to betransmitted through the first communication path (S902) as in Step S302shown in FIG. 4.

The NFC tag affixed to the first control target device 200A that hasreceived the capability information transmission request transmitted inStep S902 transmits the stored capability information A of the firstcontrol target device 200A based on the capability informationtransmission request through the first communication path (S904) as inStep S304 shown in FIG. 4.

The information processing device 100 that has received the capabilityinformation A transmitted from the first control target device 200A inStep S904 notifies a user of a start notification for startingcommunication with the second control target device 200B through thefirst communication path (S906) as in Step S306 shown in FIG. 4.

When the process of Step S906 is performed, the information processingdevice 100 and the NFC tag affixed to the second control target device200B perform a connection process for performing communication throughthe first communication path (S908). In Step S908, the informationprocessing device 100 plays the role of a reader-writer.

When the process of Step S908 is performed, the information processingdevice 100 transmits a capability information transmission requestthrough the first communication path (S910) as in Step S310 shown inFIG. 4.

The NFC tag affixed to the second control target device 200B that hasreceived the capability information transmission request transmitted inStep S910 transmits the stored capability information B of the secondcontrol target device 200B based on the capability informationtransmission request through the first communication path (S912) as inStep S312 shown in FIG. 4.

The NFC tag affixed to the information processing device 100 that hasreceived the capability information B transmitted from the secondcontrol target device 200B in Step S912 decides a transmission targetcontrol target device based on the capability information A received inStep S904 and the capability information B received in Step S912 (S914).

Here, since FIG. 10 is an example of the process in the case of theconfiguration shown in FIG. 9, neither the first control target device200A nor the second control target device 200B has the function ofprocessing data received through the first communication path. Theinformation processing device 100 decides a transmission target controltarget device based on, for example, an order of acquiring thecapability information, set priorities, or a user operation in StepS914.

Hereinbelow, an example of the process relating to the informationprocessing method according to the present embodiment will be describedexemplifying the case in which the first control target device 200A isdecided as the transmission target control target device in the processof Step S914. Note that, when the second control target device 200B isdecided as the transmission target control target device in the processof Step S914, the information processing device 100 performs, forexample, the processes from Step S316 shown in FIG. 4, rather than theprocesses from Step S916 to be described below.

When the transmission target control target device is decided in StepS914, the information processing device 100 starts communication withthe first control target device 200A through the third communicationpath (S916). The information processing device 100 performs thecommunication with the first control target device 200A through thethird communication path based on, for example, connection informationincluded in the capability information A of the first control targetdevice 200A acquired in Step S904. Note that, when the transmissiontarget control target device is decided in Step S914, the informationprocessing device 100 may notify the user of the decided transmissiontarget control target device.

When the process of Step S916 is performed, the information processingdevice 100 transmits the connection information B of the second controltarget device 200B to the first control target device 200A that is thetransmission target control target device through the thirdcommunication path (S918).

The first control target device 200A transmits a response signalaccording to the reception result of the connection information Btransmitted in Step S918 through the third communication path (S920).

The information processing device 100 that has received the responsesignal transmitted from the first control target device 200A in StepS920 gives a notification to the user based on the response signal(S922) as in Step S320 shown in FIG. 4.

The first control target device 200A that has received the connectioninformation B transmitted in Step S918 starts communication with thesecond control target device 200B through the second communication pathusing the connection information B of the second control target device200B (S924).

By performing, for example, the process shown in FIG. 10 in theinformation processing system according to the present embodiment, thefirst control target device 200A and the second control target device200B perform communication with each other through the secondcommunication path. Here, in FIG. 10, the process of Step S914corresponds to the process (1) (decision process) described above, andthe process of Step S918 corresponds to the process (2) (transmissioncontrol process) described above. Thus, by performing, for example, theprocess shown in FIG. 10, the information processing device 100 cancontrol communication between the control target devices.

Note that it is needless to say that a process performed in theinformation processing system according to the present embodiment is notlimited to the process shown in FIG. 10.

(D) Another Example of the Process Relating to the InformationProcessing Method According to the Present Embodiment

In (A) to (C) described above, the examples of “the process relating tothe information processing method according to the present embodimentwhen the process capability information according to the presentembodiment is included in at least one of the capability information ofthe first control target device and the capability information of thesecond control target device which are acquired through the firstcommunication path” have been shown as examples of the process relatingto the information processing method according to the presentembodiment. The information processing device according to the presentembodiment, however, can acquire the process capability information incommunication to be performed with at least one of the first controltarget device and the second control target device, which relates to theestablishment of a session of the first communication path as describedabove. Thus, next, as another example of the process relating to theinformation processing method according to the present embodiment, anexample of the process relating to the information processing methodaccording to the present embodiment when the information processingdevice according to the present embodiment acquires the processcapability information in the communication which relates to theestablishment of a session of the first communication path will bedescribed.

FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processperformed in the information processing system according to the presentembodiment. FIG. 11 shows the example of the process performed in theinformation processing system according to the present embodiment whenthe combination of presence or absence of the process capabilities ofthe first control target device and the second control target devicewith respect to data received through the first communication path isthe first combination. In addition, FIG. 11 shows the example of theprocess when the information processing system has the configurationshown in FIG. 2. Here, Steps S1000 to S1008 and S1016 to S1024 shown inFIG. 11 correspond to the process relating to communication for theestablishment of a session of the first communication path according tothe present embodiment.

The information processing device 100 transmits a polling signal(S1000). Here, the information processing device 100 may transmit thepolling signal, for example, regularly or irregularly, or may transmitthe polling signal when a user operation that indicates a start of apolling is detected or when a sensor such as an infrared ray sensordetects an external device.

The first control target device 200A that has received the pollingsignal transmitted from the information processing device 100 in StepS1000 transmits a polling response signal (S1002).

The information processing device 100 that has received the pollingresponse signal transmitted from the first control target device 200A inStep S1002 transmits an attribute request that requests transmission ofattribute information (S1004).

Here, as attribute information according to the present embodiment, forexample, information (data) that indicates a communication speedsupported by the device itself or the like is exemplified. In addition,the process capability information according to the present embodimentmay be information included in the attribute information according tothe present embodiment.

The attribute request according to the present embodiment includes, forexample, a process capability information transmission request thatrequests transmission of the process capability information according tothe present embodiment. In addition, when the process capabilityinformation according to the present embodiment is the informationincluded in the attribute information according to the presentembodiment, the attribute request according to the present embodimentmay play the role of, for example, the process capability informationtransmission request that requests the transmission of the processcapability information according to the present embodiment. Note thatthe information processing device 100 can also transmit, for example,the attribute request according to the present embodiment and theprocess capability information transmission request according to thepresent embodiment in communication through the first communication pathof a different transaction.

The first control target device 200A that has received the attributerequest transmitted from the information processing device 100 in StepS1004 transmits the attribute information and the process capabilityinformation (S1006).

When the processes of Steps S1000 to S1006 are performed between theinformation processing device 100 and the first control target device200A, the information processing device 100 and the first control targetdevice 200A perform a session establishment process (S1008). As theprocess of Step S1008 is performed, the first communication path betweenthe information processing device 100 and the first control targetdevice 200A is the first communication path of which a session has beenestablished. Here, as the session establishment process according to thepresent embodiment, for example, a process defined in “5.6Connection-oriented Transport Mode Procedures” of NFC Logical LinkControl Protocol (LLCP) Technical Specification Version 1.1 isexemplified.

When the process of Step S1008 is performed, the information processingdevice 100 transmits a capability information transmission request thatincludes a transmission command for causing capability information to betransmitted through the first communication path (S1010) as in Step S302shown in FIG. 4.

The first control target device 200A that has received the capabilityinformation transmission request transmitted in Step S1010 transmits thestored capability information A of the first control target device 200Abased on the capability information transmission request through thefirst communication path (S1012) as in Step S304 shown in FIG. 4.

The information processing device 100 that has received the capabilityinformation A transmitted from the first control target device 200A inStep S1012 notifies a user of a start notification for startingcommunication with the second control target device 200B through thefirst communication path (S1014) as in Step S306 shown in FIG. 4.

When the process of Step S1014 is performed, the information processingdevice 100 transmits a polling signal (S1016) as in Step S1000.

The second control target device 200B that has received the pollingsignal transmitted from the information processing device 100 in StepS1016 transmits a polling response signal (S1018) as in Step S1002.

The information processing device 100 that has received the pollingresponse signal transmitted from the second control target device 200Bin Step S1018 transmits an attribute request that requests transmissionof attribute information (S1020) as in Step S1004.

The second control target device 200B that has received the attributerequest transmitted from the information processing device 100 in StepS1020 transmits the attribute information and the process capabilityinformation (S1022) as in Step S1006.

When the processes of Steps S1016 to S1022 are performed between theinformation processing device 100 and the second control target device200B, the information processing device 100 and the second controltarget device 200B perform a session establishment process (S1024) as inStep S1008. As the process of Step S1024 is performed, the firstcommunication path between the information processing device 100 and thesecond control target device 200B is the first communication path ofwhich a session has been established.

When the process of Step S1024 is performed, the information processingdevice 100 transmits a capability information transmission requestthrough the first communication path (S1016) as in Step S302 shown inFIG. 4.

The second control target device 200B that has received the capabilityinformation transmission request transmitted in Step S1016 transmits thestored capability information B of the second control target device 200Bbased on the capability information transmission request through thefirst communication path (S1018) as in Step S304 shown in FIG. 4.

The information processing device 100 that has received the capabilityinformation B transmitted from the second control target device 200B inStep S1018 decides a transmission target control target device based onthe process capability information of the first control target device200A received in Step S1006 and the process capability information ofthe second control target device 200B received in Step S1022 (S1030).Here, since FIG. 11 is an example of the process in the case of theconfiguration shown in FIG. 2, the first control target device 200A doesnot have the function of processing data received through the firstcommunication path, and the second control target device 200B has thefunction of processing data received through the first communicationpath. Thus, the information processing device 100 decides the secondcontrol target device 200B as the transmission target control targetdevice in Step S1030.

When the transmission target control target device is decided in StepS1030, the information processing device 100 transmits the connectioninformation A of the first control target device 200A to the secondcontrol target device 200B that is the transmission target controltarget device (S1032) as in Step S316 shown in FIG. 4.

The second control target device 200B transmits a response signalaccording to the reception result of the connection information Atransmitted in Step S1032 (S1034) as in Step S318 shown in FIG. 4.

The information processing device 100 that has received the responsesignal transmitted from the second control target device 200B in StepS1034 gives a notification to the user based on the response signal(S1036) as in Step S320 shown in FIG. 4.

The second control target device 200B that has received the connectioninformation A transmitted in Step S1036 starts communication with thefirst control target device 200A through the second communication pathusing the received connection information A of the first control targetdevice 200A (S1 Here, in FIG. 2, since the second control target device200B has the function of processing data received through the firstcommunication path, the second control target device 200B can receivethe connection information A transmitted in Step S106 and process thereceived connection information A. Thus, the second control targetdevice 200B that has received the connection information A transmittedin Step S106 starts communication with the first control target device200A through the second communication path using the received connectioninformation A of the first control target device 200A (S108). In theexample shown in FIG. 2, the second control target device 200B performscommunication with the first control target device 200A using acommunication interface that responds to IEEE 802.15.1. 038) as in StepS322 shown in FIG. 4.

By performing, for example, the process shown in FIG. 11 in theinformation processing system according to the present embodiment, thefirst control target device 200A and the second control target device200B perform communication with each other through the secondcommunication path. Here, in FIG. 11, the process of Step S1030corresponds to the process (1) (decision process) described above, andthe process of Step S1032 corresponds to the process (2) (transmissioncontrol process) described above. Thus, by performing, for example, theprocess shown in FIG. 11, the information processing device 100 cancontrol communication between the control target devices.

Note that a “process performed in the information processing systemaccording to the present embodiment when the information processingdevice according to the present embodiment acquires the processcapability information in the communication that relates to theestablishment of a session of the first communication path” is notlimited to application to the process performed when the combination ofpresence or absence of the process capabilities of the first controltarget device and the second control target device with respect to datareceived through the first communication path is the first combinationas shown in FIG. 11.

For example, the “process performed in the information processing systemaccording to the present embodiment when the information processingdevice according to the present embodiment acquires the processcapability information in the communication that relates to theestablishment of a session of the first communication path” can beapplied to the process performed when the combination of presence orabsence of the process capabilities of the first control target deviceand the second control target device with respect to data receivedthrough the first communication path is the second combination as shownin FIG. 7, since the same processes as those of Steps S1000 to S1008shown in FIG. 11 are performed in the connection processes (Steps S600and S608 of FIG. 7) shown in FIG. 7. In addition, the “process performedin the information processing system according to the present embodimentwhen the information processing device according to the presentembodiment acquires the process capability information in thecommunication that relates to the establishment of a session of thefirst communication path” can also be applied to, for example, theprocess performed when the combination of presence or absence of theprocess capabilities of the first control target device and the secondcontrol target device with respect to data received through the firstcommunication path is the third combination as shown in FIG. 10, sincethe same processes as those of Steps S1000 to S1008 shown in FIG. 11 areperformed in the connection processes (Steps S900 and S908 of FIG. 10)shown in FIG. 10. Here, when the “process performed in the informationprocessing system according to the present embodiment when theinformation processing device according to the present embodimentacquires the process capability information in the communication thatrelates to the establishment of a session of the first communicationpath” is applied to the process in the case of the second combination orthe process in the case of the third combination, the capabilityinformation acquired by the information processing device 100 from eachof the control target devices in FIGS. 7 and 10 is, for example,information that includes the connection information and does notinclude the process capability information.

(Information Processing Device According to the Present Embodiment)

Next, an example of a configuration of the information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment which can perform the processrelating to the information processing method according to the presentembodiment described above will be described. FIG. 12 is a block diagramshowing the example of the configuration of the information processingdevice 100 according to the present embodiment. Here, FIG. 12 also showsthe first control target device 200A according to the present embodimentand the second control target device 200B together.

The information processing device 100 has a first communication unit102, a second communication unit 104, and a control unit 106.

In addition, the information processing device 100 may also have, forexample, a ROM (Read Only Memory; not illustrated), a RAM (Random AccessMemory; not illustrated), a storage unit (not illustrated), an operationunit that a user can operate (not illustrated), a display unit thatcauses various kinds of screens to be displayed on the display screen(not illustrated), and the like. The information processing device 100causes the constituent elements described above to be connected to eachother using, for example, a bus serving as a transmission path of data.

Here, the ROM (not illustrated) stores data for control such asprograms, and arithmetic operation parameters that the control unit 106uses. The RAM (not illustrated) temporarily stores programs and the likeexecuted by the control unit 106.

The storage unit (not illustrated) is a storage section that theinformation processing device 100 has, which stores various types ofdata, for example, data constituting a UI (User Interface),applications, and the like. Here, as the storage unit (not illustrated),for example, a magnetic recording medium such as a hard disk, anon-volatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable andProgrammable Read Only Memory) or a flash memory, and the like areexemplified. In addition, the storage unit (not illustrated) may beattached to or detached from the information processing device 100.

In addition, as the operation unit (not illustrated), an operation inputdevice to be described later is exemplified, and as the display unit(not illustrated), a display device to be described later isexemplified.

[Hardware Configuration Example of the Information Processing Device100]

FIG. 13 is an illustrative diagram showing an example of a hardwareconfiguration of the information processing device 100 according to thepresent embodiment. The information processing device 100 has, forexample, an MPU 150, a ROM 152, a RAM 154, a recording medium 156, aninput and output interface 158, an operation input device 160, a displaydevice 162, a first communication interface 164, and a firstcommunication interface 166. In addition, the information processingdevice 100 causes the constituent elements to be connected to each otherusing, for example, a bus 168 serving as a transmission path of data.

The MPU 150 is constituted by, for example, an MPU (Micro ProcessingUnit), various kinds of processing circuits, and the like functioning asthe control unit 106 that controls the entire information processingdevice 100. In addition, the MPU 150 plays, for example, the role of adecision unit 110 and a transmission control unit 112 to be describedlater in the information processing device 100.

The ROM 152 stores data for control such as programs, arithmeticoperation parameters, and the like that the MPU 150 uses. The RAM 154temporarily stores, for example, programs executed by the MPU 150 andthe like.

The recording medium 156 functions as a storage unit (not illustrated),and stores various kinds of data, for example, data constituting a UI,applications, and the like. Here, as the recording medium 156, forexample, a magnetic recording medium such as a hard disk, or anon-volatile memory such as a flash memory is exemplified. In addition,the recording medium 156 may be attached to or detached from theinformation processing device 100.

The input and output interface 158 is connected to, for example, theoperation input device 160 and the display device 162. The operationinput device 160 functions as an operation unit (not illustrated), andthe display device 162 functions as a display unit (not illustrated).Here, as the input and output interface 158, for example, a USB(Universal Serial Bus) terminal, a DVI (Digital Visual Interface)terminal, an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) terminal,various processing circuits, and the like are exemplified. In addition,the operation input device 160 is provided, for example, on theinformation processing device 100 and connected to the input and outputinterface 158 in the inside of the information processing device 100. Asthe operation input device 160, for example, buttons, arrow keys, arotation type selector such as a jog dial or a combination thereof, andthe like are exemplified. In addition, the display device 162 isprovided, for example, on the information processing device 100 andconnected to the input and output interface 158 in the inside of theinformation processing device 100. As the display device 162, forexample, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display (OrganicElectro-Luminescence display; also called an OLED display (Organic LightEmitting Diode display)), and the like is exemplified.

Note that it is needless to say that the input and output interface 158can be connected to an external device such as an operation input deviceserving as an external device of the information processing device 100(for example, a keyboard, a mouse, or the like), a display device, orvarious communication devices having the function of performingcommunication through the first communication path or a thirdcommunication path. In addition, the display device 162 may be a devicethat can perform display and a user operation, for example, a touchscreen, or the like.

The first communication interface 164 is a first communication meansthat the information processing device 100 has, functioning as the firstcommunication unit 102 that performs communication with an externaldevice such as the first control target device 200A or the secondcontrol target device 200B through the first communication path. Here,as the first communication interface 164, for example, an NFC interfacethat has a wireless communication antenna circuit and a carrier wavetransmission circuit is exemplified.

The wireless communication antenna circuit constituting the firstcommunication interface 164 plays the role of forming the firstcommunication path between an external device. The wirelesscommunication antenna circuit is constituted by a resonance circuit anda demodulating circuit that include a coil having a predeterminedinductance and a capacitor having a predetermined electrostatic capacityas transmission and reception antennas. In addition, the wirelesscommunication antenna circuit demodulates, for example, data transmittedfrom an external device or the like by receiving an electric field(carrier wave) of 13.56 MHz.

In addition, the carrier wave transmission circuit constituting thefirst communication interface 164 includes, for example, a modulatingcircuit that performs modulation of ASK or the like and an amplifyingcircuit that amplifies outputs of the modulating circuit, and transmitscarrier waves which carry carrier wave signals from thetransmission-reception antenna of the wireless communication antennacircuit. By including the carrier wave transmission circuit, theinformation processing device 100 can have the function of an initiatorin NFC and can play the role of a so-called reader-writer. Here, as thecarrier wave signals that the carrier wave transmission circuittransmits from the wireless communication antenna circuit and transmits,for example, signals indicating a capability information transmissionrequest, connection information, and the like are exemplified. Inaddition, the transmission of the carrier waves of the carrier wavetransmission circuit is controlled by, for example, the MPU 150.

The first communication interface 164 functions as the firstcommunication unit 102 that forms the first communication path by havingan NFC interface constituted by, for example, such a wirelesscommunication antenna circuit and the carrier wave transmission circuitdescribed above. Note that the first communication interface 164 is notlimited to the NFC interface. For example, when the first communicationpath is formed through infrared ray communication, the informationprocessing device 100 has an infrared ray communication interfaceconstituted by an infrared ray port, a transmission-reception circuit,and the like as the first communication interface 164.

The second communication interface 166 is a second communication meansthat the information processing device 100 has, functioning as a secondcommunication unit 104 that performs communication with an externaldevice such as a first control target device 200A, a second controltarget device 200B, or a server through the third communication path.Here, as the second communication interface 164, for example, an IEEE802.15.1 port and a transmission-reception circuit, an IEEE 802.11b portand a transmission-reception circuit, and the like are exemplified.

The information processing device 100 performs the process relating tothe information processing method according to the present embodimentwith, for example, the configuration shown in FIG. 13. Note that ahardware configuration of the information processing device 100according to the present embodiment is not limited to the configurationshown in FIG. 13. In the case of a configuration in which communicationthrough the first communication path or communication through the thirdcommunication path is performed with a connected external communicationdevice, for example, the information processing device 100 may not havethe first communication interface 164 and/or the second communicationinterface 166.

In addition, the information processing device 100 may further have, forexample, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) and an audio output device. Asthe audio output device according to the present embodiment, forexample, an amplifier (amp), a speaker, and the like are exemplified.When the DSP and the audio output device are further provided, theinformation processing device 100 can give various kinds ofnotifications such as a start notification for starting communicationthrough the first communication path or an error notification using asound output from the audio output device.

In addition, the information processing device 100 can also have theconfiguration without, for example, the operation device 160 or thedisplay device 162.

Referring to FIG. 12 again, an example of the configuration of theinformation processing device 100 will be described. The firstcommunication unit 102 plays the role of performing communication withan external device such as the first control target device 200A or thesecond control target device 200B through the first communication path.Here, as the first communication unit 102, for example, a communicationdevice that responds to a communication scheme that forms the firstcommunication path such as an NFC interface or an infrared raycommunication interface is exemplified.

The second communication unit 104 plays the role of performingcommunication with an external device such as the first control targetdevice 200A or the second control target device 200B through the thirdcommunication path. Here, as the second communication unit 104, forexample, a communication device that responds to a communication schemethat forms the third communication path such as an IEEE 802.15.1 portand a transmission-reception circuit, an IEEE 802.11b port and atransmission-reception circuit, and the like is exemplified.

The control unit 106 is constituted by, for example an MPU, variouskinds of processing circuits, and the like, playing the role ofcontrolling the entire information processing device 100. In addition,the control unit 106 has, for example, the decision unit 110 and thetransmission control unit 112, playing the main role of performing theprocess relating to the information processing method according to thepresent embodiment.

The decision unit 110 plays the main role of performing the process (1)(decision process) described above to decide a transmission targetcontrol target device between the first control target device 200A orthe second control target device 200B based on process capabilityinformation acquired from at least one of the first control targetdevice or the second control target device through the firstcommunication path.

To be more specific, the decision unit 110 decides a transmission targetcontrol target device based on, for example, process capabilityinformation that can be included in acquired capability information orprocess capability information acquired in communication that relates tothe establishment of a session of the first communication path. When,for example, both of the process capability information of the firstcontrol target device and the process capability information of thesecond control target device are acquired, such as when both of theacquired capability information of the first control target device andcapability information of the second control target device include theprocess capability information, the decision unit 110 determines acombination of presence or absence of the process capabilities of thefirst control target device 200A and the second control target device200B with respect to data received through the first communication pathbased on, for example the process capability information of the firstcontrol target device 200A and the process capability information of thesecond control target device 200B. In addition, when the processcapability information of a control target device is not acquired, suchas when the acquired capability information of a control target devicedoes not include the process capability information, the decision unit110 determines the combination of presence or absence of the processcapabilities of the first control target device 200A and the secondcontrol target device 200B with respect to data received through thefirst communication path by assuming that, for example, thecorresponding control target device does not have the process capabilitywith respect to data received through the first communication path.Then, based on the determined combination, the decision unit 110 decidesa transmission target control target device by performing, for example,the process relating to the first example, the process relating to thesecond example, or the process relating to the third example shown in(1-1) to (1-3) described above.

In addition, the decision unit 110 decides a communication scheme forthe second communication path based on, for example, connectioninformation of the first control target device 200A, connectioninformation of the second control target device 200B, or a useroperation.

In addition, when the connection information includes informationindicating a term of validity that enables use of the connectioninformation in other devices, the decision unit 110 selectively sets theconnection information to be in an invalid state based on, for example,such information indicating a term of validity. In addition, when theconnection information includes information indicating a term ofvalidity within which another device is allowed to use the connectioninformation, the decision unit 110 may give, for example, a notificationrelating to the information indicating the term of validity to a user.Here, as the notification relating to the information indicating theterm of validity, for example, a notification relating to the term ofvalidity represented by the information indicating the term of validity,a notification indicating that the term of validity of the acquiredconnection information has expired, or the like is exemplified.

The transmission control unit 112 plays the main role of performing theprocess (2) (transmission control process) described above to transmitconnection information of the other control target device to thetransmission target control target device decided by the decision unit110.

To be more specific, the transmission control unit 112 causes theconnection information to be transmitted through, for example, thecommunication path that responds to the combination of presence orabsence of the process capabilities with respect to data receivedthrough the first communication path which is determined by the decisionunit 110. In addition, the transmission control unit 112 causes, forexample, the connection information that responds to the communicationscheme decided by the decision unit 110 to be transmitted.

Here, in the case in which the connection information is to betransmitted through the first communication path, when the connectioninformation can be transmitted to a transmission target control targetdevice through the first communication path that relates to acquisitionof the process capability information of the transmission target controltarget device, the transmission control unit 112 causes, for example,connection information to be transmitted through the first communicationpath that relates to the acquisition of the process capabilityinformation. In addition, in the case in which the connectioninformation is to be transmitted through the first communication path,when it is difficult to transmit the connection information to thetransmission target control target device through the firstcommunication path that relates to the acquisition of the processcapability information of the transmission target control target device,the transmission control unit 112 causes communication with thetransmission target control target device through the firstcommunication path to be performed again. Then, the transmission controlunit 112 causes the connection information to be transmitted to thetransmission target control target device through the firstcommunication path that is formed again.

Note that, when the connection information is transmitted through thefirst communication path, the first communication path through which thetransmission control unit 112 causes the connection information to betransmitted is not limited to the above. For example, in the case inwhich the connection information is transmitted through the firstcommunication path, even when the connection information can betransmitted to the transmission target control target device through thefirst communication path that relates to the acquisition of the processcapability information of the transmission target control target device,the transmission control unit 112 may cause communication with thetransmission target control target device through the firstcommunication path to be performed again.

As the control unit 106 has, for example, the decision unit 110 and thetransmission control unit 112, the control unit leads the processrelating to the information processing method according to the presentembodiment.

Note that a configuration of the control unit according to the presentembodiment is not limited to the above. For example, the informationprocessing device according to the present embodiment may further have anotification control unit (not illustrated) that causes the displayunit, an external display device, or the like to give various kinds ofnotifications such as a start notification for starting communicationthrough the first communication path, an error notification, or anotification that relates to information indicating a term of validity.When the notification control unit (not illustrated) is provided, forexample, the notification control unit (not illustrated) gives variouskinds of notifications according to the present embodiment in theinformation processing device according to the present embodiment.

In addition, for example, the information processing device according tothe present embodiment can have one or two or more of the decision unit110, the transmission control unit 112, and the notification controlunit (not illustrated) that constitute the control unit separately (forexample, each of the units can be realized as a separate processingcircuit).

The information processing device 100 performs the process relating tothe information processing method according to the present embodiment(for example, the process (1) (decision process) described above, andthe process (2) (transmission control process) described above) with,for example, the configuration shown in FIG. 12. Accordingly, theinformation processing device 100 can control communication performedbetween the control target devices with, for example, the configurationshown in FIG. 12.

Note that a configuration of the information processing device accordingto the present embodiment is not limited to the configuration shown inFIG. 12. For example, in the case of a configuration in whichcommunication through the first communication path or communicationthrough the third communication path is performed using a connectedexternal communication device, the information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment may have the configuration withoutthe first communication unit 102 and/or the second communication unit104. Even with the configuration without the first communication unit102 and/or the second communication unit 104, the information processingdevice according to the present embodiment can perform the communicationthrough the first communication path and/or communication through thethird communication path with an external device such as a controltarget device using the external communication device. Thus, even withthe configuration without the first communication unit 102 and/or thesecond communication unit 104, the information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment can control communication performedbetween the control target devices in the same manner as the informationprocessing device 100 shown in FIG. 12.

In addition, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment may further have, for example, an audio output unit (notillustrated) that can output sounds. Here, as the audio output unit (notillustrated), for example, a DSP and an audio output device areexemplified. When the audio output unit (not illustrated) is provided,the information processing device according to the present embodimentcan give various kinds of notifications according to the presentembodiment to a user using sounds output from the audio output unit (notillustrated).

As described above, the information processing device according to thepresent embodiment performs, for example, the process (1) (decisionprocess) described above and the process (2) (transmission controlprocess) described above as processes relating to the informationprocessing method according to the present embodiment. Here, theinformation processing device according to the present embodimentdecides a transmission target control target device (a control targetdevice to which the connection information of the other control targetdevice is to be transmitted) in the process (1) (decision process)described above, and causes the connection information of the othercontrol target device to be transmitted to the decided transmissiontarget control target device in the process (2) (transmission controlprocess) described above. In addition, the transmission target controltarget device decided in the process (1) (decision process) describedabove is a control target device between the first control target deviceand the second control target device that can receive the connectioninformation of the other control target device and process theconnection information.

Thus, as the information processing device according to the presentembodiment performs the process (1) (decision process) described aboveand the process (2) (transmission control process) described above, thetransmission target control target device can perform communication withthe other control target device through the second communication pathusing the connection information. In other words, as the informationprocessing device according to the present embodiment performs theprocess (1) (decision process) described above and the process (2)(transmission control process) described above, the first control targetdevice and the second control target device can perform communicationwith each other through the second communication path even when, forexample, one or each of the first control target device and the secondcontrol target device is a device to which an NFC tag or the like isaffixed.

Therefore, the information processing device according to the presentembodiment can control the communication performed between the controltarget devices by performing the processes relating to the informationprocessing method according to the present embodiment. In addition, asthe information processing device according to the present embodimentcontrols the communication performed between the control target devices,various kinds of handover between the control target devices can berealized.

In addition, since the information processing method according to thepresent embodiment causes the connection information of the othercontrol target device to be transmitted to the transmission targetcontrol target device, it is not necessary for the user to be aware ofthe authentication process or the setting process for the first controltarget device and the second control target device to perform thecommunication through the second communication path. Thus, theinformation processing method according to the present embodiment canenhance convenience for the user by performing the processes relating tothe information processing method according to the present embodiment.

Hereinabove, the information processing device has been described toexemplify the present embodiment, however, the present embodiment is notlimited thereto. The present embodiment can be applied to variousdevices, for example, a communication device such as a mobile telephone,or a smartphone, a computer such as a PC, a tablet-type device, a videoand music reproduction device (or video and music recording andreproduction device), a game device, an imaging device such as a digitalstill camera or a digital video camera, and the like. In addition, thepresent embodiment can also be applied to, for example, a processing ICthat can be incorporated into the devices described above.

In addition, the control target device has been described to exemplifythe present embodiment, however, the present embodiment is not limitedthereto. The present embodiment can be applied to various devices, forexample, a computer such as a PC, a communication device such as amobile telephone, or a smartphone, a tablet-type device, a printer, avideo and music reproduction device (or video and music recording andreproduction device), a game device, an imaging device such as a digitalstill camera or a digital video camera, and the like.

(Program According to the Present Embodiment)

As a program for causing a computer to function as the informationprocessing device according to the present embodiment (program that canexecute the process relating to the information processing methodaccording to the present embodiment, for example, the process (1)(decision process) described above, the process (2) (transmissioncontrol process) described above, and the like) is executed in thecomputer, communication between control target devices can becontrolled.

The preferred embodiment of the present disclosure has been describedabove with reference to the accompanying drawings, whilst the presentinvention is not limited to the above examples, of course. A personskilled in the art may find various alternations and modificationswithin the scope of the appended claims, and it should be understoodthat they will naturally come under the technical scope of the presentinvention.

For example, in the above description, provision of a program forcausing a computer to function as the information processing deviceaccording to the present embodiment (computer program) is shown,however, the present embodiment can further provide a recording mediumon which the program is stored.

The configuration described above is an example of the presentembodiment, and of course falls within the technical scope of thepresent disclosure.

Additionally, the present technology may also be configured as below.

(1) An information processing device including:

a decision unit configured to decide, based on process capabilityinformation acquired through a first communication path from at leastone of a first control target device and a second control target devicewhich are target devices to be caused to perform wireless communicationthrough a second communication path that is different from the firstcommunication path, the process capability information indicatingwhether or not it is possible to process data received through the firstcommunication path, a transmission target control target device betweenthe first control target device and the second control target device,which is a control target device to which connection information of theother control target device is to be transmitted out of connectioninformation acquired from each of the first control target device andthe second control target device through the first communication pathfor starting communication through the second communication path; and

a transmission control unit configured to cause the connectioninformation of the other control target device to be transmitted to thetransmission target control target device.

(2) The information processing device according to (1),

wherein, when the process capability information of the first controltarget device and the process capability information of the secondcontrol target device are acquired, the decision unit determines acombination of presence or absence of process capabilities of the firstcontrol target device and the second control target device with respectto data received through the first communication path based on theprocess capability information of the first control target device andthe process capability information of the second control target device,and decides the transmission target control target device based on thedetermined combination.

(3) The information processing device according to (2), wherein, whenthe process capability information of one of the control target devicesindicates that it is possible to process data received through the firstcommunication path and the process capability information of the othercontrol target device does not indicate that it is possible to processdata received through the first communication path, the decision unitdecides the one control target device as the transmission target controltarget device.

(4) The information processing device according to (3), wherein, when itis not possible to cause the connection information of the other controltarget device to be transmitted to the one control target device throughthe first communication path through which the process capabilityinformation has been acquired, the transmission control unit causescommunication with the one control target device through the firstcommunication path to be performed again to cause the connectioninformation of the other control target device to be transmitted to theone control target device.

(5) The information processing device according to any one of (2) to(4), wherein, when the process capability information of the one controltarget device indicates that it is possible to process data receivedthrough the first communication path and the process capabilityinformation of the other control target device also indicates that it ispossible to process data received through the first communication path,the decision unit decides a control target device between the firstcontrol target device and the second control target device whichcorresponds to the process capability information that has been acquiredlater as the transmission target control target device.

(6) The information processing device according to any one of (2) to(4), wherein, when the process capability information of the one controltarget device indicates that it is possible to process data receivedthrough the first communication path and the process capabilityinformation of the other control target device also indicates that it ispossible to process data received through the first communication path,the decision unit decides the transmission target control target devicebased on the connection information of the first control target deviceand the connection information of the second control target device.

(7) The information processing device according to any one of (2) to(6), wherein, when the process capability information of the firstcontrol target device does not indicate that it is possible to processdata received through the first communication path and the processcapability information of the second control target device does notindicate that it is possible to process data received through the firstcommunication path either, the decision unit determines presence orabsence of process capabilities of each of the first control targetdevice and the second control target device with respect to datareceived through a communication path that is formed based on theconnection information based on connection information of the firstcontrol target device and connection information of the second controltarget device, and then decides the transmission target control targetdevice based on a determination result of the presence or absence of theprocess capabilities with respect to data, or based on the determinationresult and an order of acquiring the process capability information, setpriorities, or a user operation.

(8) The information processing device according to (7), wherein thetransmission control unit causes the connection information of the othercontrol target device to be transmitted through a third communicationpath that is formed based on the connection information of thetransmission target control target device.

(9) The information processing device according to (1), wherein, whenthe process capability information of the one control target device isacquired and the process capability information of the other controltarget device is not acquired, the decision unit assumes that the othercontrol target device does not have a process capability with respect todata received through the first communication path, determines acombination of presence or absence of process capabilities of the firstcontrol target device and the second control target device with respectto data received through the first communication path based on theassumed process capability of the other control target device withrespect to data received through the first communication path and theprocess capability information of the one control target device, andthen decides the transmission target control target device based on thedetermined combination.

(10) The information processing device according to any one of (1) to(9),

wherein the decision unit decides a communication scheme for the secondcommunication path based on the connection information of the firstcontrol target device and the connection information of the secondcontrol target device, and

wherein the transmission control unit causes the connection informationthat responds to the decided communication scheme to be transmitted.

(11) The information processing device according to any one of (1) to(9),

wherein the decision unit notifies a user of a communication scheme inwhich the first control target device and the second control targetdevice are capable of communicating with each other based on theconnection information of the first control target device and theconnection information of the second control target device, and decidesa communication scheme for the second communication path based on a useroperation, and

wherein the transmission control unit causes the connection informationthat responds to the decided communication scheme to be transmitted.

(12) The information processing device according to any one of (1) to(11),

wherein the connection information is included in capability informationwhich is acquired from each of the first control target device and thesecond control target device through the first communication path andwhich indicates a capability with respect to communication, and

wherein at least one of the acquired capability information of the firstcontrol target device and capability information of the second controltarget device includes the process capability information.

(13) The information processing device according to any one of (1) to(11),

wherein the process capability information is acquired in communicationthat relates to establishment of a session of the first communicationpath, which is performed with at least one of the first control targetdevice and the second control target device, and

wherein the connection information is acquired from each of the firstcontrol target device and the second control target device through thefirst communication path of which a session has been established.

(14) The information processing device according to any one of (1) to(13),

wherein the connection information includes information indicating aterm of validity within which another device is allowed to use theconnection information, and

wherein the decision unit gives a notification with respect to the termof validity indicated by the information indicating the term of validityincluded in the connection information of the other control targetdevice.

(15) The information processing device according to any one of (1) to(13),

wherein the connection information includes information indicating aterm of validity within which another device is allowed to use theconnection information, and

wherein, when the connection information of the other control targetdevice is not transmitted within the term of validity indicated by theinformation indicating the term of validity included in the connectioninformation of the other control target device, the decision unit setsthe acquired connection information to be in an invalid state.

(16) The information processing device according to (15), wherein thedecision unit gives a notification that the term of validity of theacquired connection information has expired.

(17) An information processing method including:

a step of deciding, based on process capability information acquiredthrough a first communication path from at least one of a first controltarget device and a second control target device which are targetdevices to be caused to perform wireless communication through a secondcommunication path that is different from the first communication path,the process capability information indicating whether or not it ispossible to process data received through the first communication path,a transmission target control target device between the first controltarget device and the second control target device, which is a controltarget device to which connection information of the other controltarget device is to be transmitted out of connection informationacquired from each of the first control target device and the secondcontrol target device through the first communication path for startingcommunication through the second communication path; and

a step of causing the connection information of the other control targetdevice to be transmitted to the transmission target control targetdevice.

(18) A program causing a computer to execute:

a step of deciding, based on process capability information acquiredthrough a first communication path from at least one of a first controltarget device and a second control target device which are targetdevices to be caused to perform wireless communication through a secondcommunication path that is different from the first communication path,the process capability information indicating whether or not it ispossible to process data received through the first communication path,a transmission target control target device between the first controltarget device and the second control target device, which is a controltarget device to which connection information of the other controltarget device is to be transmitted out of connection informationacquired from each of the first control target device and the secondcontrol target device through the first communication path for startingcommunication through the second communication path; and

a step of causing the connection information of the other control targetdevice to be transmitted to the transmission target control targetdevice.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   100 information processing device-   102 first communication unit-   104 second communication unit-   106 control unit-   110 decision unit-   112 transmission control unit-   200A first control target device-   200B second control target device

1. (canceled)
 2. An information processing apparatus comprising: acommunication interface for acquiring first capability information of afirst control target device and acquiring second capability informationof a second control target device via a first communication method;processing circuitry to control determining a control target apparatus,from among the first control target device and the second control targetdevice, which transmits connection information to start a communicationvia a second communication method; and an output device, comprising atleast one of a display device or an audio output device, for notifying auser to initiate communication via the first communication method. 3.The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein thefirst control target device is a Near Field Communication (NFC) tag or anon-contact Integrated Circuit (IC) card.
 4. The information processingapparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second control target deviceis a Near Field Communication (NFC) tag or a non-contact IntegratedCircuit (IC) card.
 5. The information processing apparatus according toclaim 2, wherein the output device notifies the user to set a distancebetween the information processing apparatus and one of the firstcontrol target device or the second control target device.
 6. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein theoutput device notifies the user to perform a touch operation on one ofthe first control target device or the second control target device. 7.The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, whenthe first capability information of the first control target device andthe second capability information of the second control target deviceare acquired, determining a control target apparatus comprisesdetermining a combination of presence or absence of process capabilitiesof the first control target device and the second control target devicewith respect to data received via the first communication method basedon the capability information of the first control target device and thecapability information of the second control target device.
 8. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, when thecapability information of one of the control target devices indicatesthat it is possible to process data received through the firstcommunication method and the capability information of the other controltarget device does not indicate that it is possible to process datareceived through the first communication method, the determiningcomprises determining the one control target device as the controltarget apparatus.
 9. The information processing apparatus according toclaim 2, wherein the second communication method is a Wi-Ficommunication method.
 10. An information processing method comprising:acquiring, at an information processing apparatus, first capabilityinformation of a first control target device and acquiring secondcapability information of a second control target device via a firstcommunication method; determining a control target apparatus, from amongthe first control target device and the second control target device,which transmits connection information to start a communication via asecond communication method; and notifying a user to initiatecommunication via the first communication method.
 11. The informationprocessing method according to claim 10, wherein the first controltarget device is a Near Field Communication (NFC) tag or a non-contactIntegrated Circuit (IC) card.
 12. The information processing methodaccording to claim 10, wherein the second control target device is aNear Field Communication (NFC) tag or a non-contact Integrated Circuit(IC) card.
 13. The information method according to claim 10, wherein thestep of notifying comprises the step of notifying the user to set adistance between the information processing apparatus and one of thefirst control target device or the second control target device.
 14. Theinformation processing method according to claim 10, wherein the step ofnotifying comprises notifying the user to perform a touch operation onone of the first control target device or the second control targetdevice.
 15. The information processing method according to claim 10,wherein, when the first capability information of the first controltarget device and the second capability information of the secondcontrol target device are acquired, determining a control targetapparatus comprises determining a combination of presence or absence ofprocess capabilities of the first control target device and the secondcontrol target device with respect to data received via the firstcommunication method based on the capability information of the firstcontrol target device and the capability information of the secondcontrol target device.
 16. The information processing method accordingto claim 15, wherein, when the capability information of one of thecontrol target devices indicates that it is possible to process datareceived through the first communication method and the capabilityinformation of the other control target device does not indicate that itis possible to process data received through the first communicationmethod, the determining comprises determining the one control targetdevice as the control target apparatus.
 17. The information processingmethod according to claim 10, wherein the second communication method isa Wi-Fi communication method.
 18. A non-transitory computer-readablemedium having stored thereon a program for implementing an informationprocessing method comprising: acquiring, at an information processingapparatus, first capability information of a first control target deviceand acquiring second capability information of a second control targetdevice via a first communication method; determining a control targetapparatus, from among the first control target device and the secondcontrol target device, which transmits connection information to start acommunication via a second communication method; and notifying a user toinitiate communication via the first communication method.